Ross Shaw Sterling Sr. High School Plans Teen Safe Driving Activities

March 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Contact:  Patty O’Brien, Communications Mgr.
E-mail:  pobrien@nationalsave.org
Phone:  919-661-7800

Joseph P. McCormick
Sr. Corporate Relations Manager
E-mail:  jmccormick@allstate.com
Phone:  972-871-6479

Ross Shaw Sterling Sr. High School Plans Teen Safe Driving Activities

Houston, Texas (March 17, 2011) –– Thanks to the Allstate Foundation, Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), Inc. presented a grant to Ross Shaw Sterling Sr. High School to increase youth safety and promote teen safe driving.  Teen safe driving awareness campaigns will be conducted during key times of the year including holidays, Teen Safe Driving Month (May), prom, graduation, and back to school.

The Ross Shaw Sterling Sr. High School SAVE Chapter’s plans for Teen Safe Driving activities include holding a Teen Safe Driving Poster contest.  They will also sponsor a “mini” pep rally for the senior class, during which, students will perform a rap they composed concerning how to avoid risky behavior and unsafe driving.  The chapter will have students give one safe driving suggestion over the PA system each morning and listeners will record and submit them at the end of the week; a prize will be awarded to the student with the most correct responses submitted.

SAVE is a peer-to-peer organization that focuses on the power of positive peer influences.  According to a recent Allstate Foundation survey, Shifting Teen Attitudes: The State of Teen Driving 2009, peers are a major influence on teens – both positive and negative.  Some of the concerning statistics that SAVE chapters will address include:

•   Eighty-two percent of teens reported using cell phones while driving.
•   Nearly half (48 percent) of girls admit they are likely to speed more than 10 mph over the limit, versus 36 percent of boys.
•   Seventy-seven percent of teens admit they have felt unsafe with another teen's driving.

“This generous grant from The Allstate Foundation will assist students in finding real solutions to the issues of teen safe driving that they face each day,” stated SAVE’s executive director, Carleen Wray.  

“By empowering teens to become smart driving activists in their schools and communities, we hope to reverse the staggering statistics,” said Joseph P. McCormick, Allstate Sr. Corporate Relations Manager. “Through The Allstate Foundation’s partnership with SAVE, we’re working to develop innovative, teen focused approaches to raise awareness of the issue and, ultimately, to help save lives and reduce injuries.”  

Previous assistance from The Allstate Foundation has benefited SAVE schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin, California, Colorado, Virginia, Washington, South Dakota and Ohio.  

About the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere:
SAVE started at West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, N.C. in 1989 following the tragic death of a student who was trying to break up a fight at an off-campus party.  Students met first to console each other, then as an organization to promote violence prevention and to work together to prevent future incidents from occurring.  SAVE provides education about the effects and consequences of violence and helps provide safe activities for students, parents and communities.  For more information on SAVE or starting a SAVE chapter, visit www.nationalsave.org, or contact SAVE at (866) 343-SAVE to receive free start-up materials and guidance.

About The Allstate Foundation:
Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation .  Allstate and The Allstate Foundation sponsor community initiatives to promote safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment.  The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America's families achieve their American dream.

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Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), Inc. is a nonprofit organization striving to decrease violence in our schools and communities by promoting student involvement, education and service opportunities to provide safer environments for learning.