Teens' 'Acting Out' About Teen Safe Driving Earns $60,000 for Schools

NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven U.S. high schools were selected from more than 80 schools around the country as winners of the national Act Out Loud contest to curb distracted driving, earning prizes totaling $60,000. Act Out Loud, sponsored by The Allstate Foundation and National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is a school-based, teen-led competition to raise awareness about youth traffic safety and empower teens to take on the issue locally.

Teams of students participated in the contest by submitting a video documenting their safe driving campaign and creatively showing how they addressed distracted driving, involved their community or partnered with community leaders. Contest winners are determined by the number of votes each video receives. Special Judge's Awards are also awarded.

The winners of the 2011 Act Out Loud contest are:

• Grand Prize Winner: Stuarts Draft High School from Stuarts Draft, Virginia, received $10,000 for receiving the most votes of any other entry for their project.
• Runner-up winners - Each of the following schools received the most votes after the Grand Prize Winner, and will receive $5,000 each.
  • Emanuel County Institute, Twin City, Ga.
  • International School of the Americas, San Antonio, Texas
  • Lyford High School from Lyford, Texas
  • Nutley High School, Nutley, N.J.
  • Massapequa High School, Massapequa, N.Y.
• Judge's Awards - Act Out Loud judges chose these schools for their projects' creativity and effectiveness. Each school will receive $5,000 each.
  • Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua, N.Y.
  • Colts Neck High School in Colts Neck, N.J.
  • Harrison County High School in Cynthiana, Ky.
  • King Phillip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass.
  • Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven, Fla.  

"Allstate and its agents and employees know that being involved in the community makes a difference. With the Act Out Loud program, that involvement is helping to make our children safer," said Vicky Dinges, vice president of public social responsibility at Allstate. "Younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 experience the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. We are very pleased that so many teens recognize this reality and participated in Act Out Loud and used their creativity to bring attention to stop distracted driving."

Act Out Loud took place in May as part of National Youth Traffic Safety Month. Now in its fifth year, National Youth Traffic Safety Month engages youth from across the country in peer-to-peer education efforts to address the number one cause of death for teens in the U.S. - traffic crashes. Eight of the 10 deadliest days for teens on the road occur during the months of May through August and driver distraction contributes to 25 percent of all police-reported traffic crashes.

Here are five ways everyone can be safer behind the wheel:

1. Wear a seat belt all the time.
2. Drive the speed limit.
3. Limit the number of passengers in your car.
4. Pull over to make a call or text a friend.
5. Never drive after drinking alcohol.

For more information about the contest, visit www.ActOutLoud.org.

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