The Allstate Foundation

The Allstate Foundation Teen Safe Driving program is helping to reinvent the way teens approach driving to help save young lives and instill a lifetime of safe driving attitudes and behaviors. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of all ages from 5 to 34, with teens crashing four times more often than older drivers. Each year, about 4,000 teens are killed and more than 350,000 injured in largely preventable motor vehicle crashes. No other behavior or hazard (including homicides or suicides) comes close to claiming as many young lives. Sadly, teen driving deaths and injuries have devastating consequences on individuals, families and communities. The Allstate Foundation believes that every teen should have the opportunity to dance at their senior prom, walk across the stage on graduation day and fulfill their hopes and dreams.

The Allstate Foundation Teen Safe Driving Program is addressing the issue by making smart driving socially acceptable to teens. The program has four components:

• The program’s primary strategy is to grow its Keep the Drive (KTD) teen-to-teen smart driving movement. KTD uses the power of peer influence to educate teens about the issue; change the way teens think and act in the car as a driver or passenger; and, empower teens to become smart driving activists. For more KTD information, please visit our website for teens:  www.KeeptheDrive.com.
• Community outreach to involve key teen influencers (parents, schools, community groups, etc.) to reinforce teen smart driving and surround teens with smart driving messages. 
• Thought leadership and advocacy to advance public understanding of the issue and inform public policy decisions, particularly graduated driver licensing laws at the national or state level.
• Public awareness (among teens and adults) to elevate teen driving as a chronic public health issue.

In 2012, priority will be given to programs that:

• Help grow the KTD teen-to-teen smart driving movement or help educate the public about the value and importance of strong graduated driver licensing (while not directly or indirectly advocating for specific legislation). 
• Provide unique and innovative ways to make smart driving socially acceptable to teens.
• Appropriately reach diverse audiences, with culturally-sensitive program tactics and messages.
• Reflect collaboration among multiple organizations with distinct roles and responsibilities clearly articulated for each partner and a viable operating plan demonstrating how the partners will work together on the program effectively.
• Offer sustainable change, meaning that new teen drivers also will benefit from the program in future years. 
• Measurably reach the largest number of teens in the most meaningful and impactful ways. 
• Are replicable in other communities with details provided on the specific ways that program information will be shared with other organizations and/or communities on a national, state or local level.
• Demonstrate an understanding of teens and the ways they are most receptive to program information and messages, including appropriate use of social (online) media and word-of-mouth communications.
• Help generate awareness of the teen driving issue and the program’s strategies and tactics through effective communication plans. 
• Outline ways to appropriately engage Allstate agency owners and employees as volunteers in the program.  

Programs will be measured against the following success metrics: 

• Number of schools (if applicable) participating in program.
• Number of teens who heard the safe driving message.
• Number of teens who participated in a safe driving program.
• Number of teens who led a safe driving activity.
• Media coverage (list of print, broadcast and digital media coverage of the program).
• Number of Allstate agency owners and/or employees involved in the project.
• Program information shared with key opinion leaders, including community leaders and elected officials, to help advance public understanding of the teen driving issue and potential solutions to help address it.
• Information on how the program was socially innovative and impactful and how it will keep teens safer on the road in the future. (100 word limit)