BAKERSFIELD, Calif.,
Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
California youths will be building
and launching up to 50 safe driving campaigns statewide with the
support of a $170,000 grant from The
Allstate Foundation. The award was announced today in Bakersfield where one of these many teen-led
programs will take place.
California Highway Patrol
joined area leaders, The Allstate Foundation and California Friday
Night Live Partnership of Tulare
County to announce this statewide safe driving endeavor.
CFNLP will provide guidance and resources management to assist
California young leaders who will
host 50 traffic safety events across the state through the end of
this school year. Youths will be engaging friends, classmates and
communities to recognize and reduce driving distractions, such as
those shown found prevalent by CFNLP during a one-hour Roadwatch
Snapshot held in October.
"This is an exciting effort for young people to lead, to reduce
traffic accidents and improve our communities," says Shannon Hill, an Allstate agency owner in
Bakersfield. "Each year nearly
3,500 teens die and 300,000 others are injured nationally in
accidents caused by distracted driving. This effort will help
reduce crashes in California."
"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. "Outreach
involving the Roadwatch Snapshot will allow California youths to lead their peers in
reducing distracted driving collisions."
Roadwatch Snapshot
It takes only a few dedicated students to monitor a busy
intersection near their school or neighborhood to discover the
frequency and range of distractions that hinder drivers' focus on
driving safety. Through simple data-gathering techniques, youth can
compile in a brief period a list of common distractions and their
frequency, then can add the data to surveys conducted by other
young people throughout California
or compare statistics over time to see where driving outreach is
having a positive affect.
(For more on October's Roadwatch Snapshop and distracted driving
in California see
http://www.allstatenewsroom.com/channels/california/releases/hey-california-drivers-yes-you-really-did-that)
California youth benefiting
from this Allstate Foundation grant will design traffic safety
outreach that further involves local public safety officials, high
school and community leaders, local business sectors that can
affect or whose operations rely upon driving safety, and
others.
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