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Parents Can Help Guide Teens to Safer Driving With the Chance to Win a Free Crash Prevention Course from Berkshire Insurance Group and The Hanover


teen drivers (select to view enlarged photo)

WORCESTER, MA--November 21, 2011: Each year, thousands of inexperienced teen drivers take to the road. To help parents through this major transition in the lives of their children, Berkshire Insurance Group, a Berkshire Bank affiliate, and The Hanover Insurance Group are offering a variety of tips for improving the safety of teen drivers.

The companies provide these tips as part of their sponsorship of the highly-regarded In Control Crash Prevention safe driving program, a contest through which 40 lucky high school students in Western, Mass. will win a chance to go through the program for free and others can sign up to enter at a discounted rate. Students can enter to win through November 28th, at participating high schools or at any Berkshire Bank or Berkshire Insurance Group location throughout Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley. Selected students will attend In Control's four-and-a-half-hour program free of charge. The program--valued at $350--will be held at Barnes Airport in Westfield on Saturday, December 10.*

"As teens begin their first experiences on the road, ensuring safer driving is a critical concern for parents," said JamesHerrick, Jr., vice president of personal lines at Berkshire Insurance Group. "While teen drivers typically receive formal instruction, parents can reinforce those messages at home to help further ensure the safety of their children. At the same time, parents can lead by example. Teens are influenced by their surroundings. So, think twice before doing things like texting while driving or not wearing your seatbelt."

Some tips that parents can offer in their conversations and continually reinforce about safe driving with their teens, include:

Always wear a seat belt. Few adults question the value of seat belts. Yet teens may. For instance, 65 percent of teens killed in nighttime crashes were unbelted according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Don't talk on a cell phone or text message while driving. If you need to make a call or answer the phone, pull to the side of the road where it is safe. In Massachusetts the use of mobile electronic device including mobile telephones and any text messaging device is prohibited by junior operators and sending and reading text messages is prohibited by all drivers. Yet 90 percent of teens surveyed say that they have texted or used a cell phone while driving.

Stay focused on driving. Distracted driving can cause an accident. So don't eat, put on makeup, or other distractions while behind the wheel.

Obey traffic laws. Drivers that don't obey speed limits, tailgate other cars, pass illegally, fail to yield, or run stoplights or stop signs are more likely to get into an accident.

Never drink and drive or get into a car with a driver who has been drinking or using drugs. Call a parent or another responsible driver.

Pay attention to other drivers and don't make assumptions. Try to anticipate what they are going to do and be prepared in the event another driver makes a quick stop or some other sudden change in pattern. For example, just because someone has a turn signal on does not mean the car is actually going to turn.

Keep the car speakers at a reasonable volume. This will enable you to hear train signals or emergency vehicle sirens. Never use earbuds to listen to the radio or MP3 player while driving. This makes it hard to hear other cars, horns and sirens.

Keep your emotions in check. Don't allow frustrations caused by other drivers or heavy traffic dictate how you drive.

Do not drive when tired. If you get tired while on the road pull off to a safe place to stretch, get some exercise and fresh air before getting back on the road.

Limit the number of teens in a vehicle. Research shows that teens are three to five times more likely to have an accident if other teens are in the vehicle.

*Berkshire Insurance Group, a Berkshire Bank affiliate, The Hanover Insurance Group, and the local high school are not responsible for, or connected with any aspect of this program and participation is the sole decision and responsibility of the parent/guardian.

BACKGROUND

About Berkshire Bank

Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent of Berkshire Bank, America's Most Exciting Bank(SM), and has more than $4 billion in assets. The company has more than 60 full service branch offices in Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont providing personal and business banking, insurance, and wealth management services. Berkshire Bank provides 100% deposit insurance protection for all deposit accounts, regardless of amount, based on a combination of FDIC insurance and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).

About Berkshire Insurance Group

Berkshire Insurance Group, a Berkshire Bank affiliate, is a leader in providing insurance coverage for individuals, families, and businesses in western Massachusetts. It operates offices in Dalton, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Longmeadow, Pittsfield, Shelburne Falls, South Deerfield, Stockbridge, and Westfield, Massachusetts and sells all lines of insurance in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Connecticut. The group provides property and casualty, life, disability, and other forms of insurance coverage.

About The Hanover

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. , based in Worcester, Mass., is the holding company for a group of insurers that includes The Hanover Insurance Company, also based in Worcester, Citizens Insurance Company of America, headquartered in Howell, Michigan and Chaucer Holdings PLC, based in London, and their affiliates. The Hanover offers a wide range of property and casualty products and services to businesses, individuals, and families through a select group of agents and brokers.

The company is ranked among the top 25 property and casualty insurers in the United States and has been meeting its obligations to its agent partners and their customers for nearly 160 years. Through Chaucer, the company also underwrites business at Lloyds in all major insurance and reinsurance classes, balancing global marine, energy, non-marine and aviation with U.K. motor and nuclear. .