Safe Teen Driving Program

The goal of The Allstate Foundation Teen Driving program is to reduce the number one killer of teens - motor vehicle crashes. Each year, more than 4,000 teens are killed and more than 300,000 injured in largely preventable motor vehicle crashes. No other behavior or hazard (including homicide or suicides) comes close to claiming as many young lives. The annual teen fatality / injury rate has been unacceptably high for the past 10 years despite safer cars and roadways and restrictive driving laws. The tragic fact is that teens are four times more likely to crash than older drivers primarily due to: driver error (overcorrecting, failing to yield or driving in the wrong lane, etc.), speeding and distractions. Sadly, teen driving deaths and injuries have devastating consequences on individuals, families and communities.

The Allstate Foundation Teen Driving Program is addressing the issue by making smart driving socially acceptable to teens. The program has four components:

• The program's primary strategy is to develop and grow the Keep the Drive teen-to-teen smart driving movement. KTD uses the power of peer influence to educate teens about the issue; change the way teens think and act in the car as a driver or passenger; and, empower teens to become smart driving activists. For more KTD information, please visit our Web site for teens: www.KeeptheDrive.com.
• Community outreach to involve key teen influencers (parents, schools, community groups, etc.) to reinforce teen smart driving and surround teens with smart driving messages. For more information, please visit our Web site for adults: www.ProtectTeenDrivers.com.
• Thought leadership and advocacy to advance public understanding of the issue and inform public policy decisions.
• Public awareness (among teens and adults) to elevate teen driving as a chronic public health issue.

Priority is given to programs that:

• Help continue to grow the KTD teen-to-teen smart driving movement. Programs focused only on community outreach, thought leadership and public awareness to reduce teen motor vehicle crashes will be funded as resources allow.
• Provide unique and innovative ways to make smart driving socially acceptable to teens.
• Focus on the primary cause of teen crash fatalities: driver error, speeding, distractions (including passengers), and failure to wear seat belts.
• Appropriately reach diverse audiences, with culturally-sensitive program tactics and messages.
• Reflect collaboration among multiple organizations with distinct roles and responsibilities clearly articulated for each partner and a viable operating plan demonstrating how the partners will work together on the program effectively.
• Offer sustainable change, meaning that new teen drivers also will benefit from the program in future years.
• Measurably reach the largest number of teens in the most meaningful and impactful ways.
• Are replicable in other communities with details provided on the specific ways that program information will be shared with other organizations and/or communities on a national, state or local level.
• Demonstrate a current understanding of teens and the ways they are most receptive to program information and messages, including appropriate use of new and emerging social (online) media and word-of-mouth communications.
• Help generate awareness of the teen driving issue and the program's strategies and tactics through effective communication plans.
• Outline ways to engage Allstate agents and employees as volunteers.

Programs are measured against the following success metrics:

• The number of teens reached with appropriate messages delivered through appropriate communication channels.
• Evidence that the program messages have reached teens and changed the ways teens think and act in the car as a driver or passenger.
• Traffic driven to the program's two Web sites, to draw upon existing program resources, tools and messages.
• Program information shared with key opinion leaders, including elected officials and public policy leaders, to help advance public understanding of the teen driving issue and potential solutions to help address it.
• Public awareness of the teen driving issue, and the program's strategies and tactics as measured by coverage in traditional and online media outlets.
• Capacity to reach diverse audiences in culturally relevant ways.
• The number of Allstate agents and employees engaged in the program.