Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws help number one killer of teens
Bloomington, IL., April 23, 2009 - State Farm supports and urges quick passage of the recently introduced federal legislation Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act of 2009. The STANDUP Act would establish minimum federal requirements for state graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws and encourage all states to adopt GDL laws that meet those minimum requirements within three years. Currently all states have laws that address teen driving, but there are no minimum requirements.
“The number one killer of teens is automobile crashes,” says Laurette Stiles, vice president of Strategic Resources for State Farm. “As the leading automobile insurer in the country, State Farm understands the importance of preparing young people for the challenge of learning to drive. Through our unique research alliance with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia® (CHOP) we know that teen drivers need more supervised time behind the wheel in a variety of conditions before they are ready to drive on their own. Research shows that strong GDL laws have made a significant impact in lowering the crash and fatality rates of teen drivers.”
State Farm and CHOP are dedicated to taking research results and translating them into nationwide action to save teens’ lives. In 2007, they teamed up to support a Congressional resolution designating the third week in October National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW). In 2009, Teen Driver safety week is October 18-24. During this week, parents, young drivers, lawmakers and educators focus on working together to change risky teen driving behaviors. State Farm, in partnership with the National Youth Leadership Council, sponsors Project Ignition, a program in which high school students identify teen driver safety issues within their community. Grant money is awarded to the winning schools to assist in carrying out their teen driver safety campaigns. State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board which awards annual grants on issues important to students, State Farm and communities across America has driver safety as one if its five issues eligible for funding requests.
State Farm has a GDL toolkit available to state legislators to help them understand the issues around GDL and to help build awareness within their states.
For more information about State Farm’s teen driver safety efforts go to www.statefarm.com/teendriving.
Vicki Harper, State Farm Insurance al (309) 766-9743.