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Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teenagersi, and while parents are very aware of the dangers facing teen drivers, experts agree parents need to play a bigger role in ensuring the safety of their teen driver. To help empower parents, Allstate has teamed up with football star John Elway, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation and the National High School Coaches Association on a national education campaign to promote teen safe driving. The centerpiece of the campaign is a new, Interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract to help parents and teens create a set of safe driving principles and consequences that help enforce responsible driving and ultimately save teen lives. John Elway joins Allstate today in Denver to rally parents and teens in the community around this issue and launch the contract. Elway’s teenage son and daughter attend high school in the Denver area, where Elway also coaches the football team. “As a parent, I know we try to protect our kids from every possible danger, but we’re not doing enough to prepare and protect them when they get behind the wheel of a car,” said Elway. “Allstate has developed an Interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract to make it easier for parents to talk to their teens and work with them to implement responsible driving rules and consequences, with the goal of getting teens to come home safely.” Each year, nearly 6,000 teens are killed in car crashes and more than 300,000 teens are injured in auto accidents – more than suicide, drug/alcohol overdose and homicide combined.ii While most parents are aware of the dangers of teen driving, few may realize that they can be part of a life-saving solution. Research shows that only half of all parents (56%) discuss safe driving with their teens before age 15, with safe driving taking a back seat to discussions about drugs, alcohol use and sex.iii Interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract and Online Resource Parents can take the first step in having dialogue with their teens about safe driving by visiting www.allstate.com/teen to complete the contract with their teen and agree to a set of safe driving principles. To help parents get their teens’ attention, the site features the following: * Facts and statistics about dangers on the road * Guidelines for starting the conversation about safe driving and, together with their teens, establishing rules to address key driving dangers, including passenger limits, nighttime driving restrictions, cell phone use, and speeding * Advice from a community of experts, other parents and teens on completing the contract Parents’ Important Role According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, teens whose parents establish relatively strict limits during early independent driving are less likely to engage in risky driving or to have traffic violations or crashes during the first year of driving.iv Parents’ driving habits impact teens long before their 16th birthday. Teens said their parents are their biggest influence when it comes to drivingv, but many parents are not setting a good example. Ninety-four percent of parents think they demonstrate safe driving while with their teens, but more than 70% admit to eating or talking on the cell phone while driving with their teen.vi "Parents can certainly serve as the key towards safer driving, as they are able to play a vital role in elevating the importance of safe driving in their teens’ daily lives,” said Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., professor of Psychology at Temple University, adolescent psychological development expert and author of “You and Your Adolescent: A Parent’s Guide for Ages 10 to 20.” “Discussing the issue regularly with our teens and talking with our peers are simple actions that will go a long way in keeping teens safer on the road.” Teen Safe Driving Campaign Elements Allstate launched a new Interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract today, but the teen safe driving message extends throughout the entire year, especially when other high-risk teen driving times occur such as prom and graduation. Allstate’s teen safe driving campaign is also supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation and the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA). These alliances will reinforce the importance of safe driving via key parent/teen influencers and will help spread the word to parents and community leaders. “The American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation is honored to work with Allstate to support their new interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract,” said Dr. Mark Belfer, Vice President of the AAFP Foundation. “According to numerous studies, teens are at greater risk of injuries and death from motor vehicle accidents, and the AAFP Foundation is encouraging our network of over 60,000 family physicians to work with parents and teens to provide education to prevent unnecessary deaths.” Additionally, Allstate worked with NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” to create teen safe driving public service announcements that feature cast members and Allstate’s teen safe driving message. The PSAs were featured throughout the show’s second season, which began in early October. In addition, Allstate collaborated with Jason Wade, lead singer of the band Lifehouse, to develop a song to accompany a new, 60-second teen safe driving commercial, which debuted at the end of October. Discussing the importance of this teen safe driving campaign, Allstate Vice President of Integrated Marketing Lisa Cochrane adds, “Many organizations have been talking about the alarming statistics surrounding teen driving for a long time, but crashes are still the number one killer of teens. Allstate is dedicated to making the world a safer place to drive, and is empowering parents with a unique tool to help get their teens to come home safely each and every day of the year.” About Allstate 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 helps individuals in approximately 17 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow through approximately 14,600 exclusive agencies and financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®. Encompass® and Deerbrook® Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. The Allstate Financial Group provides life insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers.
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For more information visit www.allstate.com/teen.
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