Car + Crash = Basic Physics MetLife Auto & Home Offers Free Auto Safety Program to High Schools

    WARWICK, R.I., March 29 For every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction.  That basic law of physics can lead to life and
death situations as teenagers learn to drive.  To improve teen driving and
help students connect theory with reality, MetLife Auto & Home is making the
program Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics available free to high
schools.  This program shows how basic physics concepts such as Newton's Law,
inertia, momentum, and conservation relate to real life-especially the effect
of physics on a teen's automobile in motion.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001012/METLOGO)
    "Over 7,000 teens lose their lives on America's roadways each year.
MetLife Auto & Home is working diligently to partner with parents and
educators to 'put the brakes' on these numbers," said Cathy Rein, president
and CEO of MetLife Auto & Home. "We're confident that the knowledge gained in
the classroom from this program will result in greater understanding of the
importance of safe driving when students get behind the wheel."
    Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics, which includes a video and
teacher/student guide, is available free to high schools by calling 1-800-638-
5433 (1-800-MET-LIFE) or by visiting a local MetLife Auto & Home
representative.  The company also offers free materials to parents and teens,
including:  "Teaching Your Teen to Drive Without Driving Each Other Crazy," an
excellent companion guide for the supervised drives often required by
graduated licensing; and a video, "Young Drivers: The High Risk Years."
    To further encourage safe teen driving habits, the company also provides
financial incentives to its customers:
    -- A $50 cash reward for each year a teen drives without accident, claim,
       or violation.
    -- A $100 US Savings Bond to teens logging 20 drives with a parent or
       guardian in the co-pilot seat.

    MetLife Auto & Home offers these cash award and savings bond programs to
its customers in eighteen states: Alabama, California, Florida, Idaho,
Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
    MetLife has a long tradition as a leading advocate for public safety
issues and for improving quality in education.  The company has helped foster
excellence in education by sponsoring the National Principal of the Year Award
for the past decade and by presenting the teacher's voice to policymakers and
the public through its annual Metropolitan Life Survey of the American
Teacher.
    MetLife Auto & Home, an affiliate of MetLife, Inc , is one of
the nation's leading personal lines property and casualty companies with more
than 2.5 million policies in force.  To secure more information about these
programs, or about the wide variety of insurance products MetLife Auto & Home
provides, contact your local MetLife Auto & Home provider or authorized
Independent Agent; visit MetLife's Web site at http://www.metlife.com; or call
1-800-422-4272.
    MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty
Insurance Company and its Affiliates, Warwick, RI.

    Contact:
    Joe Madden (401) 827-2015
    jmadden@metlife.com

    Judy Downey (401) 827-2936
    jdowney@metLife.com