$125,000 Granted to North Carolina High Schools

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- North Carolina is celebrating this season thanks to thousands of safe driver commitments made in support of local high schools through the Celebrate My Drive® program created by State Farm Insurance®.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120803/MM51963LOGO)

More than 3,500 North American schools participated in Celebrate My Drive and the top 100 schools were eligible to receive a grant, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. Five North Carolina high schools received enough commitments to win a $25,000 grant.

In addition to collecting more than 6 million commitments to be safe drivers, the Celebrate My Drive program recognizes a very important and joyous occasion in the life of young people – getting a driver's license! Car crashes are the number one killer of teens, and a teen's first year behind the wheel is the most dangerous. Using research as a guide, State Farm is approaching teen driver safety, a winnable public health battle, by engaging teens in a supportive and positive way while they learn to drive. 

"State Farm is proud of North Carolina's efforts across the state to generate excitement among students, faculty and entire communities to make safe driving commitments and have positive conversations about teen driver safety," said State Farm Public Affairs Specialist Anna Bryant. "Our goal is to celebrate the joy of getting a license and encourage young people to be safe on the road."

Grant recipients include:

The grant recipients are among 100 winning high schools from Canada and the United States. Schools were divided into two categories, large or small, based on enrollment and 50 grants were awarded in each category.

Supporting Auto Safety across North America
Safe driving should be a continual learning process gained through ongoing coaching and experiential learning. Celebrate My Drive is an effective tool to amplify the conversation around the importance of education related to teen driver safety. More than 6 million safe driving commitments were made in support of over 3,500 schools throughout the US and Canada. State Farm agents held more than 1,250 teen driving safety events between October 18-26. These community celebrations focused on safe driving habits, emphasizing the benefits of safe choices as teens celebrate the freedom that comes with getting a drivers' license. 

About State Farm^®:
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 18,000 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. 44 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca. 

About Celebrate My Drive®
Celebrate My Drive® is a different approach to a leading public health risk. Car crashes are the number one killer of teens, and a teen's first year on the road is the most dangerous. Using research as a guide, State Farm is approaching teen driver safety, a winnable public health battle, by engaging teens while they learn to drive in a supportive and positive way.  It's a community celebration of safe driving habits emphasizing the benefits of safe choices as teens celebrate the freedom that comes with getting a drivers' license. Learn more about the initiative at www.celebratemydrive.com.

SOURCE State Farm