State Farm and Nebraska Safety Council Team Up
Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 18, 2011 - The Nebraska Safety Council’s new SIDNE go-cart will make its public debut this Friday when North Star High School students gather to see for themselves how difficult it is to drive safely while impaired by alcohol or distracted by cell phones.
Please join us at 10:45 a.m. Friday, October 21, at the southeast end of the parking lot at North Star High School, 5801 N. 33rd Street, where 80-100 students will look on as some of their peers attempt to navigate an obstacle course. In the event of inclement weather, activities will be moved indoors to the gymnasium. Members of the news media are invited to try driving SIDNE themselves after the student demonstration is complete.
SIDNE was purchased by the Nebraska Safety Council thanks to a grant from State Farm. SIDNE, which stands for Simulated Impaired Driving Experience, operates in two modes - normal driving and impaired driving. Student drivers will be asked to navigate the obstacle course with the go-cart in normal mode first, then in impaired mode.
“SIDNE is a great educational tool that will allow us to reach students in high schools across Nebraska,” said Laurie Klosterboer, executive director for the Nebraska Safety Council. “During live demonstrations, students will see for themselves the effects of impaired and distracted driving. Our goal is that “The SIDNE Effect” will influence teens to make the decision to not drive impaired or distracted.”
The SIDNE demonstration is planned for Friday to coincide with National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 16 - 22, 2011. The week is dedicated to raising awareness about the tragedy of teen vehicle crashes, the leading cause of death for young people in the U.S., and is meant to spark communication among teenagers, parents, educators and civic leaders about the causes of and solutions to teen crashes.
“Car crashes remain the number one killer of teens,” said State Farm Agent John Curry. “We’re committed to promoting teen driver safety year-round to keep safe driving practices at the top of their minds. We also believe we can help save lives though this experiences by showing first-hand the dangers of risky driving behaviors.”
Ann Avery, Lincoln Operations Center, State Farm Insurance, (402) 327-4551.
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca
Nebraska Safety Council is a nonprofit organization that provides leadership and resources to promote a safe and healthy environment in our workplaces, on our roads and in our homes and communities.