Greensboro, NC, September 28, 2011 - Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. In 2009, eight teens died every day from injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes according to a study by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. To help change the statistics, State Farm® awarded a $5000 grant to the VIP for a VIP teen driver safety program. The mission of the VIP for a VIP program is to bring the sights, sounds, and smells of a fatal vehicle accident to high school students in a dramatic way in hopes of embedding the consequences of these senseless events into the minds of teenage drivers.
Greensboro State Farm Agent, John Klopp, presented a check during the VIP program held this week at Ben L Smith High School. “Research shows car crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group and are the number one killer of teens in the United States. State Farm is committed to finding ways to protect the lives of our teen drivers. It is part of our mission to make a positive impact in our communities.” said Klopp.
“The VIP for a VIP program acknowledges the generous support from State Farm as a partner in reaching high school teen drivers with a strong, but loving, message about the consequences of poor driving decision,” said David Hood, a director for VIP. “Comments from students and parents lead us to believe that showing them the awful results and effects will arm them with a better attitude and more respect for each other and the vehicles they operate.”
The VIP program is delivered, at no cost to the host, by volunteers from local Fire, EMS, Police, Highway Patrol and other organizations. Their hope is that at the end of the program, students have a realistic picture of what can happen as a result of one moment of inattention.
Kim Conyers, State Farm Insurance, (919) 789-3841.
State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 76 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 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®.
