Tackling the number 1 cause of teen deaths
This page was last reviewed on April 9, 2013
State Farm® supported campaign to create greater awareness about teen driving deaths and establish National Teen Driver Safety Week
Aurora, Ontario. April 2, 2013 – State Farm and Parachute are joining forces in a major new campaign to tackle the #1 cause of death for young Canadians – motor vehicle crashes.
The numbers point to the real need: despite progress due mainly to graduated driver licensing, Canadian teenagers 16-19 remain at a higher risk of death per kilometre than all other age groups. Indeed, roughly 13% of licensed drivers in Canada are 16-24 years old, yet 24% of fatalities and 26% of serious injuries on the road tend to be attributed to this young age group.
This new campaign led by Parachute and supported by State Farm will involve a number of elements aimed at bringing greater awareness to the issue, including establishing a National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW) in October, developing a central website to offer teen driver safety resources, creating a curriculum for high schools and choosing youth ambassadors from across Canada. Parachute and State Farm will launch Teen Driver Safety Week at Parliament Hill and will urge the Canadian government to formally endorse the week. For more information see www.parachutecanada.org/programs/topic/C281.
“We are delighted to join forces with State Farm, who share our belief that action needs to be taken to reduce the tragic loss of young lives to road traffic crashes,” said Louise Logan, President and CEO of Parachute. “We’re looking forward to making a real difference with their support.”
State Farm agents from across Canada will host teen driving safety events from October 18-26, 2013, to bring attention to this epidemic and help establish a NTDSW. Celebrate My Drive® Powered by State Farm will rally communities in hundreds of locations across North America to celebrate with teen drivers and support their safe passage on the road ahead. The program unites high schools and their communities by generating support for their schools while encouraging safe driving commitments. For more information visit www.celebratemydrive.com.
“State Farm has a long history of promoting auto teen driver safety; our Celebrate My Drive campaign encourages teens to make positive choices as they start driving,” said Barbara Bellissimo, Senior Vice President and Chief Agent of State Farm Canada. “We look forward to working with Parachute in establishing a National Teen Driver Safety Week in Canada and raising awareness about the serious issues facing teen drivers.
About State Farm
State Farm has been serving Canadians since 1938. State Farm is a Fortune 100 company and is the leading Property and Casualty insurer in North America with more than 80 Million policyholders. In addition to providing affordable car insurance rates, State Farm has more than 500 Canadian agents and 1700 employees providing insurance and financial services including mutual funds, life insurance, vehicle loans, critical illness, disability, home and auto insurance to our customers in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.ca, join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/statefarmcanada, follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/statefarmcanada, or see us on YouTube www.youtube.com/statefarm
About Parachute
Parachute is a national, charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. Parachute’s injury prevention programming and advocacy efforts are designed to help Canadians reduce their risks of injury while enjoying long lives lived to the fullest. For more information, visit www.parachutecanada.org.