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Texas High School Helps Put the Brakes on the Number-One Killer of Teens

State Farm(R) and the National Youth Leadership Council(R) Name Shallowater High School's Project Ignition - 'Best of the Best'

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., April 2 -- Shallowater High School of Shallowater, Texas, was named the "Best of the Best" for their 2006-07 Project Ignition safe driving campaign at The 18th Annual National Service-Learning Conference. State Farm and the National Youth Leadership Council selected the Shallowater High School team as the winner because of its dedication to educate its own students about the dangers of driving and for taking its campaign on the road to other schools. Shallowater's involvement in Project Ignition began three years ago with their campaign "Safety Starts with Step One," which was a platform used to educate elementary and junior high students on safety issues. Their efforts over the last three years have cumulated into their award winning campaign "Roll Right: Get R.E.A.L."

From September 9 through December 24, 2006, 11 teens died in car crashes in the area known as the South Plains of Texas. This led Shallowater to form the Area 61 Teen Coalition Against Destructive Driving (TCADD). This coalition is comprised of 61 high schools, 18 counties and 63 communities, as well as the Texas DOT, Texas DPS and the Region 17 Education District. TCADD's mission is to educate, inform and make a difference in their communities. Projects include awareness campaigns, improving road signs, public speaking and lobbying to change legislation.

"Car crashes are this nation's biggest killer of teens," says NYLC President and CEO Jim Kielsmeier. "When we started Project Ignition, we hoped that it would lead not only to some innovative safety campaigns but also to an ongoing commitment by young people to change the driving habits of their peers. Shallowater's excellent work over the past three years exemplifies that level of commitment."

Nearly 7,500 15- to 20- year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes nationwide in 2005(1). According to the National Young Driver Survey, conducted by State Farm and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 20 percent of 11th graders reported being involved in a crash as a driver in the past year. Additionally, 5,664 high school students said they are driving under extremely dangerous conditions -- fatigue, talking on cell phones, strong emotions, multiple passengers -- and many are still not wearing seatbelts.

State Farm and NYLC joined forces in 2004 to address the number one killer of teens, car crashes. The goal was to create a program that would educate teens on the hazards of driving and give teens a platform in which to implement effective interventions. The result was the development of the national service-learning program, Project Ignition. Project Ignition uses service-learning to empower teens to implement campaigns that will positively impact their peers, their schools and their communities.

Each year 25 high schools from across the country receive a $2,000 grant from State Farm to implement their Project Ignition safe driving campaigns and to address the risks teen drivers face. Ten finalists are chosen and invited to The National Service-Learning Conference where the "Best of the Best" is chosen. The school chosen as "Best of the Best" is awarded a $10,000 grant to continue their Project Ignition campaigns. Past winners include Mooresville High School in Mooresville, Ind., in 2004-2005; and Gibson City-Melvin Sibley High School in Gibson City, Ill., in 2005-2006.

"The results and impact Project Ignition has had across the country is truly phenomenal," said Leif Roll, vice president of product & customer marketing for State Farm. "These campaigns are making a difference, making our roads safer, and saving lives. State Farm is very proud to be a sponsor of this program, we are proud of the accomplishments of the students, and we are looking forward to continuing helping students positively impact their communities."

Project Ignition is currently accepting applications for the 2006-2007 school year. Applications must be submitted online at http://www.sfprojectignition.com/ , and are due April 13, 2007. For more information about other safe driving initiatives and service-learning programs, visit http://www.statefarm.com/ or http://www.nylc.org/ .

About State Farm

State Farm(R) insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve nearly 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.6 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com(R) or in Canada statefarm.ca(TM).

About NYLC

NYLC has been at the center of service-learning program and policy development since 1983. It annually convenes The National Service-Learning Conference, offers adult and youth trainings and develops service-learning resources. For more information, please visit http://www.nylc.org/ .

(1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration