$170,000 Grant Spurs California Youths to Impact Safe Driving

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- California youths will be building and launching up to 50 safe driving campaigns statewide with the support of a $170,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation. The award was announced today in Bakersfield where one of these many teen-led programs will take place.

California Highway Patrol joined area leaders, The Allstate Foundation and California Friday Night Live Partnership of Tulare County to announce this statewide safe driving endeavor. CFNLP will provide guidance and resources management to assist California young leaders who will host 50 traffic safety events across the state through the end of this school year. Youths will be engaging friends, classmates and communities to recognize and reduce driving distractions, such as those shown found prevalent by CFNLP during a one-hour Roadwatch Snapshot held in October.

"This is an exciting effort for young people to lead, to reduce traffic accidents and improve our communities," says Shannon Hill, an Allstate agency owner in Bakersfield. "Each year nearly 3,500 teens die and 300,000 others are injured nationally in accidents caused by distracted driving. This effort will help reduce crashes in California."

"Building partnerships like this encourages positive and healthy development for our young people and engages them to become active leaders," says Jim Kooler, California Friday Night Live Partnership Director. "Outreach involving the Roadwatch Snapshot will allow California youths to lead their peers in reducing distracted driving collisions."

Roadwatch Snapshot

It takes only a few dedicated students to monitor a busy intersection near their school or neighborhood to discover the frequency and range of distractions that hinder drivers' focus on driving safety. Through simple data-gathering techniques, youth can compile in a brief period a list of common distractions and their frequency, then can add the data to surveys conducted by other young people throughout California or compare statistics over time to see where driving outreach is having a positive affect.

(For more on October's Roadwatch Snapshop and distracted driving in California see http://www.allstatenewsroom.com/channels/california/releases/hey-california-drivers-yes-you-really-did-that)

California youth benefiting from this Allstate Foundation grant will design traffic safety outreach that further involves local public safety officials, high school and community leaders, local business sectors that can affect or whose operations rely upon driving safety, and others.

About The Allstate Foundation

Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL). Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country, The Allstate Foundation brings the relationships, reputation and resources of Allstate to support innovative and lasting solutions that enhance people's well-being and prosperity.  With a focus on teen safe driving and building financial independence for domestic violence survivors, The Allstate Foundation also promotes safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment. For more information, visit www.allstatefoundation.org.

SOURCE The Allstate Foundation