California Teens Receive $230,000 Grant to Drive Highway Safety

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- California youth in communities from Crescent City to San Diego will dream, develop and deliver their own safe driving campaigns during the upcoming school year – energized by a $230,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation. California Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Traci Stevens joined California Highway Patrol Deputy Commissioner Ramona Prieto and leaders from the California Friday Night Live Partnership and Allstate to unveil the grant Tuesday in West Sacramento.

"Allstate recognizes the effectiveness of peer-to-peer communication—teens listening to other teens. It's a big part of how Friday Night Live helps save lives," said Julie Domenick, an Allstate agency owner in Roseville. "This program powerfully supports Allstate's national initiative to put teens in front of other teens to promote safe driving behaviors."

According to Allstate, nearly 3,500 American teens die annually in accidents caused by distracted driving. More than 300,000 teens are injured. Domenick says this grant will help reduce those crashes.

This is the second year for the partnership between California Friday Night Live and The Allstate Foundation.  This new grant rewards and builds upon the extraordinary efforts made this past school year by more than 800 California youth who hosted safe driving events across the state with local chapters of Friday Night Live. Allstate supported local Friday Night Live chapters during the past school year with more than $100,000 that allowed youth leaders to devise new methods to encourage friends, classmates and peers to drive safely.

In the upcoming school year, Friday Night Live youth across California will drive new life saving peer-to-peer programs and campaigns utilizing tools, knowledge and inspiration they receive at a state-wide teen safe driving summit supported by The Allstate Foundation's new grant. This summit is the largest gathering of California teens focused on the issue of safe driving.

"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. "This support from The Allstate Foundation will allow hundreds of California's young people to convene at our Traffic Safety Summit and lead their peers in reducing distracted driving collisions."

The Teens

Programs created so far by California Friday Night Live Partnership teens include:

• X The TXT pledge drives to eliminate cell phone use while driving.
• Measuring distracted driving on busy streets near high schools, and reducing it.
• Roadside safe driving rallies and other cooperative efforts with California Highway Patrol and traffic safety officials to deliver safe driving messages throughout local communities.
• High school and senior class events to increase awareness for eliminating distractions while driving.
• New social media Internet sites for local teens to share distracted driving stories and advice with other teens statewide and across the country.

The 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.

The Partnership

The California Friday Night Live Partnership has chapters in 54 California counties. Last year Friday Night Live youth leaders introduced more than 50 driving safety events to 13 counties statewide.

SOURCE The Allstate Foundation