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Smarter Drivers Make for Safer Roadways

21 September 2000

Smarter Drivers Make for Safer Roadways
                It's Never Too Late to Take Drivers' Education

    WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 21 Driving is one of the most
important -- and potentially dangerous- skills individuals will ever learn.
Yet Drivers' Education is available in only about half of American high
schools, according to the American Driver & Traffic Safety Administration,
leaving millions of drivers and their families on their own to find proper
training.  Sadly, tragic motor vehicle crashes claim lives and injure millions
of Americans each year.
    According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), licensed
drivers need more help than ever before.  The latest available statistics
indicate that in 1998 alone, 41,471 people died in automobile crashes. Driver
education safety initiatives coupled with driver improvement courses can play
an important role in helping to make the nation's roadways safer.  "Research
shows that driver education can be beneficial in reminding people of the rules
of the road and reducing the number of traffic violation citations," says
Julie Rochman, vice president of communications for the IIHS.
     To do its part to make the roadways safer, MetLife Auto & Home is
offering significant auto insurance discounts to safety-minded customers
seeking to improve their skills by successfully completing the state-of-the-
art defensive driving courses offered by Top Driver, Inc., the nation's
largest and fastest-growing driver training company.  The discount for
successfully completing this course is now available in 26 states: Alabama,
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
    "We believe that offering premium discounts to those who successfully
complete the Top Driver course will help make our roadways safer for all,"
said MetLife Auto & Home President and CEO Catherine Rein.  "Our unique
partnership with Top Driver ties in nicely with our overall concern for public
safety at MetLife Auto & Home."  All drivers of MetLife Auto & Home company
cars are provided with Top Driver video and workbook packages and are required
to complete this defensive driving course within 30 days.
    The Top Driver program was derived from research done in conjunction with
many of the nation's leading safety organizations, including the AAA
Foundation for Traffic Safety, the American Driver Training Safety Education
Association, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  The 75-
minute video revisits rules of the road, then advances to driving tips
delivered by successful race car drivers whose understanding of the physics
and characteristics of the vehicles they control creates an exceptionally
engaging safety message.
    Certification for the course requires that participants also complete a
workbook and test that is submitted to Top Driver for scoring.  MetLife Auto &
Home offers an auto insurance premium discount of up to ten percent per
vehicle on such major coverages as collision, bodily injury, property damage,
and medical coverages to drivers licensed at least two years who successfully
complete the Top Driver video course.  For new drivers who successfully
complete Top Driver's novice or first-time driver training program, MetLife
Auto & Home offers discounts of up to 20 percent for three years, where
permitted by law. Participants in other Top Driver programs may also be
eligible for discounts of up to 20 percent for up to three years.
    As currently filed with the Departments of Insurance, MetLife Auto &
Home's Top Driver discounts are effective for three years and can be renewed
by successfully completing another test at the end of each three year period.
The Top Driver video course is currently priced at just $29.95 (including
delivery costs) for MetLife Auto & Home customers, and can save policyholders
hundreds of dollars over a three-year period.