Allstate, U.S. DOT Team Up to Tackle Distracted Driving

ORLANDO, Fla., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate Chairman and CEO Tom Wilson and Administrator David Strickland of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today joined teens, parents, law enforcement and others for an Allstate Family Driving Challenge event in Orlando, Florida. Local teens and their parents got behind the wheel on a special course to demonstrate the difficulties of driving while distracted and learned about the dangers of texting and talking while driving

"Distracted driving is a deadly epidemic on America's roadways, and our youngest drivers are often the most at risk," said Administrator Strickland. "When you're driving, your attention should always be on the road – not on a phone. Allstate's Family Driving Challenge is a great way to demonstrate just how dangerous distractions can be behind the wheel."

Today's event at the Walt Disney World® Speedway was a hands-on experience where parents and teens learned how distractions can affect a driver behind the wheel. Strickland and Wilson interacted with professional driving instructors who took parent-teen teams through a special advanced driving course that included distractions like phone calls, texting, and rowdy passengers. With each added distraction, the course became more difficult and both teens and parents hit cones and veered off course.

"Allstate's goal is to help protect teens from their number one enemy – auto accidents. We applaud Secretary LaHood and DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for championing this cause and proudly stand with him," said Wilson. "Instilling a behavior of safe driving requires awareness, education and enforcement. Lawmakers can also help by enacting graduated licensing laws so driving privileges are consistent with capabilities."

After completing the Family Driving Challenge course, parents and teens joined Strickland and Wilson in a substantive discussion on safe driving issues. This roundtable conversation focused on the need to take the lessons learned on the course and turn them into real solutions to better protect Americans on the road through public awareness, improved education and strong enforcement of safe driving laws. To show their own personal commitment to end distracted driving, participants added their support for Allstate's X the TXT campaign. Those in attendance placed their thumbprint on a large banner, symbolizing their pledge to keep their thumbs off their phones and their eyes on the road.

The Family Driving Challenge is Allstate's interactive awareness program that travels to cities across the United States and is designed to help address the alarming statistics about distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration:

• Car crashes are the number one killer of American teens, with an average of 11 American teens dying each day as a result of teen-related car crashes.
• Nearly 5,500 people died in 2009 in crashes involving a distracted driver.
• Driver distraction contributes to 25 percent of all police-reported traffic crashes.
• Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

To learn more about Allstate's teen safe driving initiatives visit www.allstate.com/teen.  Information about our advocacy efforts on graduated driver licensing laws can be found at www.facebook.com/save11.

About Allstate

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer known for its "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan. Now celebrating its 80th anniversary as an insurer, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

SOURCE The Allstate Corporation

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