100,000 Teens Speak Up for Safe Driving During Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Cookeville High School in Tennessee chosen as the winner of the Act Out Loud program

NORTHBROOK, Ill.

More than 100,000 teens across the country raised their voices for teen safe driving as a part of this year’s Act Out Loud contest, sponsored by The Allstate Foundation and National Organizations for Youth Safety. Students at nearly 350 schools were challenged to design a t-shirt, a poster and host a rally in the spring to encourage more teens to have a conversation with their peers about staying safe on the road.

Cookeville High School was selected as the grand prize winning school and will be awarded $10,000 to continue supporting safe driving programs at their school. Participating schools were judged on several criteria, including involvement of student body, strength of teen safe driving messages, creativity of activities and community and school administration involvement.

Cookeville High School will receive the top prize because the school’s SADD and TEST chapter-led rallies created a high level of involvement from the entire student body and even teens from neighboring schools. Their student-led rally gained the attention of country music star Tim McGraw, who invited select Cookeville High School students to attend the premiere of his new music video focused on the dangers of distracted driving. The school also produced a winning poster design as one of the steps in the Act Out Loud contest.

“Learning to drive is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences a teen goes through, but it comes with tremendous responsibility,” said Keri Hunt, Allstate agency owner in Cookeville, who supported the students’ rally. “The students from Cookeville High School went above and beyond to educate their classmates and friends about the importance of earning the keys to the car.”

Five additional winners from the Act Out Loud contest were also selected to receive monetary prizes for their rallies.

Runner Up Winners:
Dubiski Career High School, Business Professionals of America (Grand Prairie, Texas)
Franklin Community High School, Business Professionals of America (Franklin, Ind.)
Seekonk High School (Boston, Mass.)
Argonaut High School, Friday Night Live (Jackson, Calif.)
Gillespie High School, Miners Preparing And Caring for Teen Driving (Gillespie, Ill.)

Act Out Loud supports Global Youth Traffic Safety Month® in May. The program engages youth from across the country in peer-to-peer education efforts to address the number one cause of death for teens in the U.S. – traffic crashes.

For more information about the contest, visit www.ActOutLoud.org.

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.

About National Organizations for Youth Safety
National Organizations for Youth Safety® (NOYS) is a coalition of national organizations and federal agencies who serve youth and focus on youth safety and health. Through the coalition, NOYS influences more than 80 million young people and their adult advisors. The mission of NOYS is to promote youth empowerment and leadership, and build partnerships that save lives, prevent injuries, and enhance safe and healthy lifestyles among all youth. For more information, visit www.noys.org.