Driving In IB #6: Biggest-Ever One Day Gathering of New Teen Drivers

IMPERIAL BEACH, CA - For teens, the first year on the road is the most dangerous. Crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens and killed nearly five times as many 15-to19-year-olds as cancer or poisoning in 2009.

Saturday, September 15th, State Farm® will be rallying communities to promote teen driver safety by hosting more than 300 events simultaneously across the U.S. and Canada!

The nations largest automobile insurance carrier is partnering with national and local safety leaders to debut a new and more positive approach to engaging young people around the topic of teen driver safety.

Mar Vista High School is home to one of the events and State Farm is inviting area residents to attend to support teens as they learn to drive and get ready for the road ahead. 

The Mar Vista High School Celebrate My Drive™ event, hosted by State Farm Agent Tracey Rivera, will have a variety of fun activities to promote safe driving including golf car driving course while wearing “beer goggles” – Supervised by the Sheriff Department, an opportunity to experience what a semi driver can and can’t see, a demonstration by the Imperial Beach Fire Department, food stalls, contests, live music and more.

The event is free and is open to the entire community.

Interested community members can vote online for Mar Vista High School to win a $100,000 grant at celebratemydrive.com between September 10 and September 15. State Farm is giving a total of 14 $100,000 grants to high schools across the U.S. and Canada.

Fourteen teenagers (ages 15-18) and their families, who participate in the school grant voting process, will win a grand prize, a brand new Chevy Sonic LS! Learn more by visiting www.facebook.com/CelebrateMyDrive.

Teens say they trust their parents the MOST, almost 5 times more than driver’s education instructors (69% vs. 14%).(Harris Survey, 2012)

According to research by State Farm® and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, teens who say their parents set rules, monitor, and are helpful and supportive are:

• Half as likely to be in a car crash as teens who describe their parents as less involved
• Nearly twice as likely to wear a seat belt as a driver or passenger as teens who say their parents are uninvolved
• Almost half as likely to speed as teens who view their parents as permissive or uninvolved

Additionally, teens who refrain from texting while driving were much more likely to report having frequent talks with their parents about safe driving.

From 2005 to 2010 the number of teens behind the wheel that died in crashes declined 46%, from 2,399 to 1,305.

Deaths among their passengers also declined 41%, from 1,777 to 1,022.

Do you think a more positive approach holds the key to breaking through with today’s teen drivers.

Will you support Mar Vista's teen drivers on the September 15th, or will you stay off the road until they get more experience?