Michelin will pay $100,000 of college tuition for one young, responsible driver.

Michelin will pay $100,000 of college tuition for one young, responsible driver.

The Michelin Man could send you to school if you can prove you are an accountable driver. All it requires is a penny.

The tire maker is giving away $100,000 toward college tuition in its”Penny for a Free Ride” contest. One lucky young driver will win for inspecting their tires — either gauging tire pressure or doing the”penny tread test” to check tread depth.

Michelin will pay

The cent test is easy: Drivers insert a penny into the groove of a tire with Lincoln’s head upside down, facing them. If they can still find all his mind, that means the tread depth is reduced, and the driver should think about changing their tires.

How to enter

The competition, open to drivers between ages 15 and 21, runs October 22 through December 3.
Entrants should post a photo or movie demonstrating they performed either tire test and label #pennyforafreeride and @MichelinUSA on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (sorry, public accounts only). https://www.michelin.com

If transport safety is too mortifying to share on social networking, they could submit their entries online at www.beyondthedrivingtest.com.

Michelin says the chances of winning are 1 in 4,500–not too shabby for a free ride.

Tuition is becoming more expensive

The competition comes at a convenient time: Tuition is more costly than ever, averaging around $19,400 for public universities and $41,500 for private universities annually, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
And while teen driver deaths are lower than, new drivers are still more than three times as likely as adults to get in fatal accidents, AAA reported in 2017.

Tire tread depth is not a glamorous topic. But it is pivotal for safe journeys. Low tire thickness impedes a car’s ability to grip the road in severe weather. Almost 750 deaths annually are credited to tire problems. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration reported.

Michelin recommends checking tread depth once per month. And if you are tired of tire evaluations, Michelin and GM devised an airless one, so you are never going to get a flat.