Cooper Tire to Participate in National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Youth Interactive Traffic Safety Lab Oct. 17

20-year-old MAZDA professional race car driver Tristan Nunez will demonstrate tire safety tips as part of the Tread Wisely tire and driver safety program

FINDLAY, Ohio--()--In conjunction with National Teen Driver Safety Week, and as part of its Tread Wisely tire and driver safety program, Cooper Tire will participate in the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Youth Interactive Traffic Safety Lab. The lab is a hands-on learning experience on safe driving for over 100 participants from across the nation. The event will be held Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. near Washington, D.C., at the Rosecroft Raceway. Cooper will be represented by 20-year-old MAZDA professional race car driver Tristan Nunez, who will demonstrate tire safety tips for students including how to check tire pressure, tread depth, and the overall condition of their tires. Students will receive free Tread Wisely tire safety kits.

“I often feel safer on the race track than I do driving around town because many drivers—especially younger ones—don’t always practice safe driving or care for their cars like they should,” Nunez said. “Cooper and NOYS have teamed up for a great new program called ‘Tread Wisely’ that aims to educate youth and change behaviors when it comes to tire and driver safety. Many teens know nothing about tires or how to care for them even though their tires are the only thing connecting their vehicles to the road. I’m excited to spend the day with students at the lab to demonstrate tire safety firsthand and arm them with knowledge they can use.”

Earlier this year, Cooper and NOYS teamed up to launch the Tread Wisely tire and driver safety program aimed at teens and young adults ages 15 to 25. Since the program’s launch, Cooper and NOYS have been actively sharing tire and driver safety information at treadwisely.org, on social media at “TreadWisely1”, through peer-to-peer education efforts, and via involvement in events that attract a young audience. Cooper has mobilized more than 200 of its employees beginning this fall to work with teens and young adults in communities where the company has major facilities including Findlay, Ohio; Texarkana, Ark., and Tupelo, Miss. The Cooper volunteers will demonstrate the same tire safety basics that Nunez will highlight and will engage young people in discussions about the importance of tire maintenance to their overall safety.

“Young people tell us they do not know much about the tires on their cars even though they understand their tires are important,” said Anne Roman, Cooper Tire’s Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs. “In partnership with NOYS, Cooper is proud to bring this important information to youth in a fresh way that is useful and fun at the same time. Tristan is an important ally in getting the word out because he is a young driver himself and a racing professional who is committed to safety with an emphasis on educating teens. We are proud to have Tristan and NOYS teaming up with Cooper for this effort.”

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) is the parent company of a global family of companies that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of passenger car and light truck tires. Cooper and its subsidiaries also sell medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Cooper's headquarters is in Findlay, Ohio, with manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations within its family of companies located in more than one dozen countries around the world. For more information on Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com, www.facebook.com/coopertire or www.twitter.com/coopertire.

About The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS)

NOYS was originally founded as the Traffic Safety Collaboration, and for its first 10 years was supported by funding from government agencies, including the Department of Transportation. In 2005, NOYS became a 501(c)(3) organization and incorporated as the National Organizations for Youth Safety, and has since grown to include over 80 national member organizations. NOYS continues to maintain a strong focus in traffic safety with support from government and business and industry, and has expanded to include other safety areas such as injury prevention, substance abuse prevention, and violence prevention.

About Tristan Nunez

Tristan Nunez is a 20-year-old professional auto racing driver who competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series as a MAZDA factory driver for SpeedSource. Nunez became the youngest class winner in GRAND-AM and American Le Mans Series history in 2013, and became the youngest SportsCar champion in 2012, when he captured the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites powered by Mazda Series championship. Nunez began his racing career at the age of 11 and advanced his racing career with multiple karting championships and then transitioned to Skip Barber formula cars, with honors including Rookie of the Year and overall points champion. The young Floridian stays active on and off the racetrack as the face of his Dnt txt n drV Foundation, where he serves as an advocate for the prevention of distracted driving. For more information, visit http://www.tristannunez.com, http://www.twitter.com/tristannunez, or http://www.facebook.com/TristanNunezRacing.

Contacts

Cooper Tire
Anne Roman, 419-429-7189
alroman@coopertire.com

Contacts

Cooper Tire
Anne Roman, 419-429-7189
alroman@coopertire.com