U.S. News Media Group and Allstate Insurance Company Release 2010 Best States for Teen Drivers

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to raise awareness for teen driver safety, U.S. News Media Group today published its first ranking of the Best States for Teen Drivers, available online at www.usnews.com/teendrivers and also featured in the April issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine.

The Best States for Teen Drivers, presented by Allstate Insurance Company, analyzes state driving laws and road conditions to identify how much states are doing to make their roads safer. In producing the rankings, U.S. News researched comprehensive government statistics on teen driving as well as a range of factors specifically affecting young drivers, making the ranking an essential resource for families with teenage drivers.

The Best States for Teen Drivers, which scores all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is led by the following top 10 states:

1. District of Columbia
2. California  
3. Colorado  
4. Maryland  
5. Illinois  
6. New Jersey  
7. Oregon  
8. Minnesota  
9. Utah  
10. Washington

*The full state rankings are available at www.usnews.com/teendrivers.

"Car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens today," said U.S. News Editor Brian Kelly. "By compiling the most critical information on driving safety, the Best States for Teen Drivers can raise awareness among families and help them address safety concerns with their teenage drivers."

To determine the Best States, U.S. News examined 11 indicators that affect teen driving safety. Five of the variables used in the rankings were based on U.S. government driving, accident, and road quality statistics, while the other six variables used independent ratings of each state's driving and safety laws from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

A sampling of the ranking variables include: safety belt, teen driving, DUI/DWI, distracted driving, and motorcycle helmet laws, as well as individual state statistics such as ratings of road conditions, average vehicle miles traveled per capita, and average percent of teens in each state with driver's licenses.

According to a recent Allstate Foundation study:

• 82% of driving teens claim to use cell phones while driving, and 49% admit to being extremely distracted by texting and instant messaging while driving
• 61% of teens worry about getting into a car crash
• 65% of teens think of themselves as a good driver who pays attention
• Parents remain #1 as driving influencers and advisors (81% of respondents said parents have the most influence on their driving)

For more information about the Best States for Teen Drivers, please visit www.usnews.com/teendrivers. For tools on how to start the safe driving conversation with your teen, visit www.allstate.com/teen.  

About the U.S. News Media Group

The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money & Business, Education, and Public Service/Opinion, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchises include its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "America's Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, health plans, and more.

About the Allstate Corporation

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com/ and 1-800 Allstate®.

SOURCE U.S. News Media Group