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Toyota and Discovery Education Partner to Promote Responsible Teen Driving through Toyota Teen Driver

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Stephen Wakefield, Discovery Education
240-662-2893
stephen_wakefield@discovery.com

Javier Moreno, Toyota
212-715-7469
jmoreno@tma.toyota.com

— Compelling High School Curriculum Empowers Students with Information about the Dangers of Distracted Driving —

— Exciting Teacher Competition and Student Sweepstakes Celebrate Safe Driving Skills with Over $50,000 in Prizes —

Silver Spring, Md. (Dec. 2, 2010) – Toyota and Discovery Education today announce the launch of Toyota Teen Driver, a new partnership promoting responsible driving for teens both at home and in the classroom. A comprehensive online destination, Toyota Teen Driver offers educators, students and parents a variety of powerful tools and materials designed to help teens avoid distractions and stay safe behind the wheel.

“Safety is a priority for Toyota, and we are dedicated to helping drivers and passengers develop responsible habits to protect them on the road,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president, national philanthropy for the Toyota USA Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Discovery Education on Toyota Teen Driver to provide teens, parents and educators the tools they need at this critical stage in teenagers’ lives.”

Empowering educators to teach appropriate behaviors to both young drivers and passengers, Toyota and Discovery Education have created a dynamic digital curriculum that includes lesson plans, activities and discussion starters. With these resources, educators can help students in grades 9-12 become more informed about the dangers of distracted driving, enable them to drive safely and help students spread the word and encourage their friends to do the same.

“Educating teens about the hazards they face behind the wheel, and actions that teens and parents can take to minimize crash risks, are important steps in preventing crashes involving young drivers,” said National Safety Council president and CEO, Janet Froetscher. “We believe the Toyota and Discovery Education program will help accomplish those objectives.”

In addition, Toyota and Discovery Education are challenging educators to develop a project-based driving safety unit for high school students. Utilizing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Safety Council websites as resources, entrants must develop one unit of study comprised of three 90-minute project-based lesson plans, with a culminating project that serves as a public service announcement to the school and/or community regarding teen driver safety. For more details and prize information, visit toyotateendriver.com.

Toyota Teen Driver also directly engages students through Heads Up!, an exciting interactive road driving challenge. Vividly demonstrating the perils of distracted driving, Heads Up! players can enter to win one of ten $5,000 cash prizes from Toyota.

Finally, recognizing the important role parents and families play in influencing responsible driving habits, Toyota and Discovery Education have created a number of parent-focused resources. Complete with conversation starters, driving activities and a guide to helping parents teach teens to drive, these resources provide best practices and critical peer support.

“Educators, alongside parents, are the number one influencers of young people,” said Mary Rollins, Discovery Education vice president of education partnerships. “Discovery Education is proud to partner with Toyota to provide the digital resources parents and educators need to positively impact student behavior behind the wheel.”

For more information, visit http://toyotateendriver.com.

About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants, including one under construction. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $500 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S.

For more information on Toyota’s commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/community.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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