Florida Sheriffs Association and State Farm Commit to Improving Teen Driving

April 01, 2013

For Immediate Release

The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) is pleased to announce State Farm’s contribution of $100,000 to the Teen Driver Challenge, an educational driver improvement course developed in 2007. Community involvement has always been an important part of State Farm’s philosophy. Since 2010, State Farm’s contributions have been a much needed investment in Florida’s youngest drivers, which will keep our roads safer for everyone.

“Teen driving is an important issue to Florida’s Sheriffs and the Teen Driver Challenge plays an integral role in teaching life saving skills to young drivers,” said Steve Casey, FSA Executive Director. “FSA is fortunate to have a partner like State Farm who encourages safe driving habits among Florida’s drivers.”

The Teen Driver Challenge was created at the request of Florida Sheriffs to combat the high crash and fatality rate of teen drivers on Florida’s highways. This program is the largest commercial driving school in Florida and is offered to teens at no charge. Costs to run this program are covered through contributions from local Sheriff’s Offices and grants from State Farm and the Florida Department of Transportation. Instructors are certified law enforcement officers and certified emergency vehicle operation instructors. They also are certified and licensed by the State of Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motors Vehicles, under the FSA’s State of Florida Commercial Driving School License.

“State Farm strongly supports efforts that increase auto safety, specifically teen driver safety,” said Julie Smith, public affairs specialist for State Farm. “The Teen Driver Challenge is a perfect fit with our overall strategy to encourage safe driving habits in Florida.”

Based on miles driven, teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of deaths for teens.  To date, more than 6,000 teens have successfully completed the Teen Driver Challenge in Florida, which is offered in 40 of the 67 Sheriffs’ Offices in Florida.

“I enjoyed the course and it made me more aware of how to be a much better defensive driver,” said Emily, a recent participant of the Leon County Teen Driver Challenge. “It helped prepare me for situations that I will certainly encounter while driving.”

For more information on the Teen Driver Challenge, please visit [url=http://www.teendriverchallenge.com]http://www.teendriverchallenge.com[/url] and remember to like them on Facebook. To register for the program or find class offerings in your area, please contact your local Sheriff’s Office.


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