Allstate Holiday Teen Driving Hotspots Study Reveals Highest Rates of Deadly Teen Crashes on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

Study release part of Home for the Holidays teen safe driving campaign encouraging parents and teens to discuss and sign Allstate’s Parent-Teen Driving Contract.

Some have called New Year’s Eve “amateur hour” on the roads. That couldn’t be more true for teen drivers, who, even if they haven’t been drinking, lack experience behind the wheel.

At the conclusion of its Home for the Holidays public awareness and policy campaign, Allstate Insurance Company today released study results identifying the deadliest hotspots for teen drivers on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The Allstate Holiday Teen Driving Hotspots study found that the 10 deadliest hotspots among the nation’s 50 largest metro areas from New Year’s Eve through New Year’s Day includes cities from coast to coast. What each area has in common is that over the past eight years they have among the highest fatal crash rates for teen drivers over the New Year’s holiday.

According to the study, among the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas (a central city and its surrounding counties), the deadliest hotspots for fatal teen crashes those two days are:

* Jacksonville, Fla.
* Columbus, Ohio
* Richmond, Va.
* Birmingham, Ala.
* Orlando
* Phoenix
* Las Vegas
* Philadelphia
* Sacramento, Calif.
* St. Louis

Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of American teens. More than 5,000 teens die on American roads every year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Holiday Teen Driving Hotspots study examines recent federal crash statistics, Allstate claims data on teen collisions, and U.S. Census Bureau statistics to score metro areas across the nation on rates of fatal crashes involving teen drivers during the holidays. The study was conducted by Allstate in conjunction with Sperling’s BestPlaces www.bestplaces.net , a Portland, Ore., research firm specializing in demographic studies and analysis.

Allstate’s national Home for the Holidays public awareness and policy campaign focuses on encouraging parents to have the safe driving talk with their teens this holiday season. The perfect way to help make that conversation happen is by using the Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract, which helps families lay out expectations for smart driving decisions and consequences if those expectations are not met.

It’s the most important gift a parent and teen can give one another this holiday season. It’s a conversation and a promise. And best of all, it’s free.

Through its national Parent-Teen Driving Contract Sign-Up Drive, Allstate encourages parents and teens to download the contract from www.allstate.com/teen and discuss the importance of safe driving. By signing the contract, parents can help ensure their teens return home safely this holiday season. As part of the program, Actress Vanessa Williams of ABC’s “Ugly Betty” and her teen son, Devin, signed their Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract in New York City earlier this month. Media may download broadcast-quality event video, interviews and still pictures at www.thenewsmarket.com/allstate. Consumers may watch event videos at www.youtube.com/allstate.

“Nothing kills more American teens each year than car crashes. That’s why the safe driving talk needs to be something every parent has with their teens. Signing an Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract helps with that conversation and shows a commitment to family this holiday season,” said Vicky Dinges, Assistant Vice President of Public Social Responsibility for Allstate.

Research conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development indicates intervention materials, including parent-teen driving agreements, increase parental restriction of high-risk teen driving conditions among newly licensed drivers.

As part of its comprehensive safe teen driving efforts, Allstate also calls for a national federal standard for graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws and urges Congress to enact the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act.

Allstate also urges state lawmakers to enact stronger state-level GDL laws that allow novice drivers to gain driving experience gradually and under low-risk situations. An effective tool for saving lives, GDL laws typically involve longer periods of supervised driving, restrictions on late-night driving, limits on teen passengers and cell phone bans for drivers.

A more detailed breakdown on the study results - including other market and state comparisons - can be found at http://media.allstate.com/ ; click on press kits located on the left.