FORT MYERS — State Farm announced its support of a Florida based teen traffic safety group, the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition and has awarded a $60,000 grant to promote traffic safety education among parents, teens, and law enforcement statewide. The grant will fund several projects aimed at reducing the number of teen-related traffic crashes in Florida, including:

• Creation of a statewide Battle of the Belts Kit to promote safety belt use among teens
• Printing of additional Ground Your Parents Kits to be offered statewide to promote parent-teen communication about safe driving habits
• Sponsorship of 10 presentations from a traffic safety speaker to visit high schools in Florida to educate teens on the importance of safe driving

• Provision of educational items that support traffic safety to Florida parents/caregivers, teens, and law enforcement

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, yet these crashes are preventable. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), novice teen drivers are twice as likely as adult drivers to be involved in a fatal car crash. This is primarily due to lack of experience and hesitance to stand up for themselves when feeling unsafe in a car.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from State Farm,” said Melissa Valido, Executive Director of the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition. “With this funding, we can continue to make a positive impact on the safety of Florida’s roads by providing education and resources to parents, teens, and law enforcement.”

This grant will help the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition address this issue by providing essential education and resources to Florida’s youth.

“Education is the key to reducing the number of teen-related crashes in Florida,” said Jose Soto, State Farm’s Corporate Responsibility Analyst. “We are proud to support the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition in their mission to promote traffic safety education.”

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, State Farm provided funding to support the continuation of the Ground Your Parents Safe Driving Campaign, an effort to raise awareness among parents of the important duty they have to model safe driving behavior for their teens. According to NHTSA, parents are the number one role-model and influencer when it comes to teen safe driving habits. The goal of the campaign is to get teens talking to their parents about “practicing what they preach” when it comes to driving safe.