Land of Lincoln's teen safe driving campaign gets Allstate's support

Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig said 105 schools in the state were selected to take part in its 2010-2011 Operation Teen Safe Driving (OTSD) program.

The initiative's goal is to help teens educate each other about being responsible while behind the wheel. The state hopes it will reduce the number of teen driving injuries and fatalities.

OTSD uses the Ford Motor Company Fund's Driving Skills for Life guide, which helps train teens for the road. Each of the schools will receive a $2,000 grant supplied by the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) Division of Traffic Safety and The Allstate Foundation.

"Saving lives and preventing injuries among teen drivers is a priority for The Allstate Foundation and our teen safe driving signature program," said Bill McGrath, Midwest sales leader for the auto insurance provider. "We congratulate the winning schools and look forward to the great results from their campaigns."

The Allstate Foundation has its own teen safe driving initiatives, including the Keep the Drive program. Like IDOT's efforts, the auto insurance provider's campaign has teens reaching out to each other to help increase awareness.