Concordville, PA (February 12, 2013)
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State Farm® has been a safety pioneer since we opened our doors in 1922. And we've never stopped working to protect our neighbors from the risks of everyday life – at home and on the road. We take our role as a good neighbor seriously when it comes to keeping you and your family safe on the road. Our relationships and programs promote child passenger safety, teen driver safety, seat belt safety and safe and sober driving.
With motor vehicle accidents the number one killer of teens, State Farm introduced Celebrate My Drive® (CMD) last year as an opportunity for communities to rally around teens as they learn to drive. The CMD Teen Driving campaign included events in September and grants awarded during October's National Teen Driving Safety Week. As well, 14 participating high schools won $100,000 grants (included Freedom High School in Lehigh County) and 14 participating teens won brand new cars (one winner was from Oxford in Chester County).
With the success of the Celebrate My Drive, State Farm continues to provide financial support throughout Pennsylvania to school that foster student collaborative and civic engagement on the responsibilities that teen drivers have to not only one another but also to those in the communities where they live. This outreach is all-inclusive, to all residents. "Whether we have a teen driver in our family or not, we should all care about this issue", says Dwayne Redd, the State Farm community specialist for Pennsylvania. "When most people think about those affected by teen driver crashes, they think of the teens behind the wheel. We must also consider the significant impact of these crashes on other members of our communities: occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and other road-users."
Several schools and community partners across the Commonwealth have received CMD grants up to $5000 to promote smart decisions behind the wheel of an automobile and the impact that behavior has on the lives of those around them. Examples of some of these school and neighborhood campaigns included "16 Minutes" , Distractions You Can't Afford", "DNT TXT N DRV, "Students Against Distracted Decisions (SADD) Stand Up Week". and "Survival 101". Recipient and recognized schools include:
Berwick Area High School; Columbia County
Corry High School: Erie County
Downingtown High School East; Chester County
Ferndale Junior/ Senior High School; Cambria County
Imhotep Institute High School; Philadelphia County
Octorara High School; Chester County
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School; Montgomery County
Spring Grove High School; York County
Upper Merion High School; Montgomery County
Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. To reduce injury and death from young driver-related crashes through scientific research and outreach, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm have been conducting research and providing evidence-based resources since 2006. In their 2012 Miles To Go report, State Farm and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute focused on the progress made in reducing teen driver-related crashes since 2005. Key findings from the report include:
The second report in an annual series, it followed the 2011 Miles To Go report, which established several metrics and benchmarks on the state of teen driver safety in the United States.
Learning to drive is a big first step in life's journey and State Farm is proud to celebrate this important milestone with them while making sure they stay safe on the road ahead.
For more information and more details on the 2013 Celebrate My Drive events, please visit State Farm's teen driving website at http://teendriving.statefarm.com/.
Dave Phillips
State Farm Public Affairs
Phone: (610) 358-7667
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.
