Boise, Idaho, April 19, 2011 - Students at Melba High School have earned a $5,000 grant from State Farm Insurance to educate their peers and the community about the dangers of distracted driving.
Melba High School is amongst one of two Idaho schools earning “Shift into Safety” grants from State Farm, the nation’s largest auto insurer and a leader in teen driver safety efforts. The company offered schools grants of $2,000 to $5,000 to craft campaigns to help change teens’ thinking, and behavior, behind the wheel.
State Farm Agency Field Executive, T. Kinning-Pflueger will present the check to the students at a school assembly on Wednesday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m.
Led by Student Council Advisor Tim Helgerson, Melba students earned a grant for their project, “Surviving While Driving,” which will tackle the problems of distracted driving, speeding as well as other obstacles such as weather, drinking and texting while driving. Students managing the project will convey their multifaceted message through public service announcements, social media, classroom competitions, and a teen driver safety school assembly.
The students and faculty wholeheartedly embrace the school’s teen driver safety campaign as its community has been sadly impacted by the loss of one of its students last year due to a traffic accident and a few serious car accidents this year.
“In the past there have been some devastating accidents impacting our school. By doing this campaign, we hope to hit home with our students and raise awareness about safe driving behaviors, “adds Chelsie Chapman, Melba Student Body Spirit Leader.
Auto accidents are more common among young drivers than any other age group. One in four crash fatalities in the United States involve a 16- to 24-year-old driver. Over twenty teenagers die in car crashes every day.
State Farm offered the “Shift Into Safety” grants to high schools within its six-state Pacific Northwest Zone-Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Program details and online application may be found at http://www.statefarm.com/idaho .
“We’re proud to support Melba High School’s efforts to reduce teen auto fatalities and serious injuries, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 20”, add Maria Ventura, State Farm Public Affairs Specialist.
Maria Ventura, State Farm Insurance, (253) 912-6459.
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the United States, is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and 68,600 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts—more than 78.7 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com or in Canada statefarm.ca.
