Pop Sensation Austin Mahone and California Teens Flag the Issue of Teen Safe Driving on National TV Program "Extra" to Kick Off The Allstate Foundation #GetThereSafe Program

California teens from Oakland High School (Oakland), Roosevelt High School (Fresno) and Sacramento Charter High School (Sacramento) joined singer Austin Mahone at the April 24 taping of the syndicated entertainment show “Extra” to flag the issue of teen safe driving and kick off The Allstate Foundation’s #GetThereSafe program. Following the TV show taping, the California teens will lead their schools in raising the teen safe driving issue on their school campuses with flag raising ceremonies during the month of May in honor of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. The #GetThereSafe flags serve as a reminder to teens to drive smart every time they are on the road as a driver or passenger.

Across the country, car crashes continue to be the No. 1 killer of American teens, causing more teen deaths each year than homicide, suicide and cancer.1 To help address the causes of teen crashes, the #GetThereSafe program challenges teens to focus on limiting three risky driving behaviors that frequently cause teen crash fatalities – speeding, failure to wear a seatbelt and distractions caused by teen passengers in the car.2

The #GetThereSafe Challenge, which runs now through Aug. 8, the deadliest season for young drivers on the road, invites teens to upload photos of them reaching their destination safely using the specific driving behavior hashtag – #nodistractions, #slowdown and #seatbelt via the free #GetThereSafe app (available on iTunes and in the Google Play stores). The winner of the #GetThereSafe Challenge will be selected at random from the pool of entries. The more times teens enter, the better chance their high school has of winning a meet and greet with Mahone.

“California ranks among the top five states with the highest number of teen driver fatalities,” said John Stolte, regional sales leader with Allstate. “Teens hold the key to reducing fatalities on the road. The #GetThereSafe program gives them an outlet to speak up and spread the word about safe driving in the classroom and through social media – the place where they turn to the most.”

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

• Fifty-six percent of American teens in fatal car crashes were not wearing a seat belt4
• Speeding is a factor in one out of every three teen fatal accidents5
• For teens, adding one teen passenger to a car increases their crash risk by almost 50 percent and that risk grows exponentially as more teen passengers are added – 202 percent more likely to crash with two teen passengers and 439 percent more likely with three or more teen passengers6

To learn more about the #GetThereSafe program, valuable tips for teen drivers, rules for the #GetThereSafe Challenge and to view social media conversations around this important topic, visit www.teensgettheresafe.com.  

About The Allstate Foundation
Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL). Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country, The Allstate Foundation brings the relationships, reputation and resources of Allstate to support innovative and lasting solutions that enhance people’s well-being and prosperity. With a focus on teen safe driving and building financial independence for domestic violence survivors, The Allstate Foundation also promotes safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment. For more information, visit www.AllstateFoundation.org.