State Farm® amplifying teen driver safety discussion through Celebrate My Drive
AURORA, ON, Oct. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in Canada. Students in more than 3,000 participating high schools across Canada and the United States are working to reverse this startling statistic while celebrating the joy of driving by taking part in Celebrate My Drive®.
As part of the celebration people in communities across North America are committing to be safe drivers once daily between October 18 and October 26 at www.celebratemydrive.com. Each safe driving commitment can be made directly in support of one of over 3,000 participating high schools. The 100 high schools with the most safe driving commitments will be awarded grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. The top two schools will win a grand prize of a private concert by Grammy award winner Kelly Clarkson.
"I am excited to be part of a movement positively impacting millions of new drivers," said Kelly Clarkson. "We live in a community filled with drivers, new and experienced, and I am all about keeping us all safe on the road."
National Teen Driver Safety Week
State Farm has partnered with the charitable organization Parachute - www.parachutecanada.org - to establish a formally recognized National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW) in Canada, dedicated to raising awareness and seeking solutions for unnecessary teen road-related injuries and fatalities. This year's Celebrate My Drive festivities take place from October 18 to 26 and culminate with a rally on Parliament Hill to enthusiastically promote an officially recognized NTDSW on the third week of October every year.
"National Teen Driver Safety Week is designed to increase awareness and spark conversation about teen car crashes across the continent" said Chris Mullen, Director of Technology Research at State Farm. "Research has shown it will take the involvement of entire communities to keep teens safer on the road; there's not a one-step solution to reducing teen vehicle crashes. Everyone needs to play a role - parents need to monitor their teens' driving practices more closely, teens must obey driving laws and be considerate passengers, and all provinces must enforce strong graduated driver licensing laws for new drivers."
Visit www.celebratemydrive.com to make a safe driving commitment and to learn more about ways you can celebrate the responsibility of driving with new teen drivers across North America.
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.
About State Farm
State Farm has been serving Canadians since 1938. State Farm is a Fortune 100 company and is the leading Property and Casualty insurer in North America with more than 80 Million policyholders. In addition to providing affordable car insurance rates, State Farm has more than 500 Canadian agents and 1700 employees providing insurance and financial services including mutual funds, life insurance, vehicle loans, critical illness, disability, home and auto insurance to our customers in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.ca, join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/statefarmcanada, follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/statefarmcanada, or see us on YouTube www.youtube.com/statefarm.
Video with caption: "Video: State Farm® and Kelly Clarkson team up for teen driver safety". Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jl_joqv2Rg
Image with caption: "Celebrate My Drive State Farm Logo (CNW Group/State Farm)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131017_C4620_PHOTO_EN_32154.jpg
Audio with caption: "Kelly Clarkson & State Farm® team up for teen driver safety discussion with Celebrate My Drive". Audio available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2013/10/17/20131017_C4620_AUDIO_EN_32156.mp3
SOURCE: State Farm
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