Safe Teen Driving Blog

Schools play an important part in education teens about the dangers of driving. Unfortunately, not all schools have the resources available to properly get the message across, and so they rely on grants to education their teens. Waldport High School in Oregon is one lucky school that recently received a $3,500 grant from State Farm Insurance.

State Farm offered a "Shift Into Safety" grant program in its Pacific Northwest Zone. Schools from Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington applied for the grants, which ranged from $2,000 to $5,000. In total, 85 schools applied, and $125,000 was awarded to 47 schools.

The rules were simple. Schools were to come up with an educational program that the students themselves would implement. Topics to be addressed included speeding, distractions, aggressive driving, seat belts, impaired driving, and other life-or-death issues pertinent to teen drivers. State Farm was looking for program ideas that would really change the thinking of teens before they get behind the wheel and make possibly life-altering decisions while driving.

Waldport High School students came up with a program which they call "No Need for Speed." Their slogan, "What's the Rush," will be shared with teen drivers at the school and in the community, via flyers, billboards, brochures and speeches. The award will go to implementing and maintaining the program throughout the school year.

Waldport High School was one of 10 Oregon schools to receive a grant, and students at the school are thrilled to be able to become a resource in the community for inexperienced teen drivers. It's great that State Farm is offering awards to students who can make a difference in their peer groups attitudes toward driving. Young drivers are four times more likely to get in a car crash than other drivers, and the more teens learn about the dangers of risky driving, the more their risk of being one of those statistics goes down. Way to go, Waldport High School!