Dec. 7, 2012 Learning to drive is a big step in lifes journey, and State Farm joined together with community partners and families across Florida to hold Celebrate My Drive events in September in a show of support for new teen drivers. As part of this ongoing safe teen driving initiative, State Farm is now giving $120,000 in mini-grants to 40 Florida community partners who supported Celebrate My Drive. In addition to the mini-grants, the Celebrate My Drive program featured a $100,000 State Farm grant for one Orlando area high school, Boone High School, and participating teens had the chance to win a new car.
We appreciate our community partners who stepped up to the plate and supported our local Celebrate My Drive events with the goal of helping young drivers stay safe as they embark on the road ahead, said Julie Smith, State Farm Community Specialist. And State Farm is proud to offer a $2,500 grant to these partners in an effort to support their ongoing work to promote safe teen driving.
Car crashes are the number one killer of teens, according to the Center for Disease Control, and their first year on the road as a new driver is the most dangerous. Though traditional scare tactics can be engaging for some, State Farm® and others believe a supportive and positive approach to teen driver safety in addition to education, awareness, legislation and enforcement is key to keeping teens engaged and safe on the road. With this in mind, State Farm initiated a different teen driver safety program called Celebrate My Drive.
Michal Brower, Media Specialist, (863) 318-3088
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. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.