Summer Marks 100 Deadliest Days for Texas Teen Drivers



IRVING, Texas, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fifty-two percent of surveyed Texas teens say they've driven a car after drinking alcohol or have been a passenger with a teen driver who had been drinking, according to a new Allstate Insurance Company study of Texas teen driving habits.



Allstate agents asked teens in and around eleven Texas cities about their highway habits and found:



-- 88% say they text message or talk on their cell phones while driving. -- 48% say they were stopped by police during their first year of driving. -- 33% got in an accident during their first year of driving. -- 30% say they have driven so fast they've lost control of their car or have been a passenger in a car with a teen driver who lost control.







"These numbers are disturbing and show there is a critical need for parents and teens to talk about safe driving," said David Christopher, an agent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. "Car crashes are the number one killer of teens and summer is the deadliest time of the year for teen drivers. The time to act is now."



One Hundred Deadliest Days



The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known as the "100 Deadliest Days" for teen drivers. According to Allstate, on average, 15 teens die in traffic accidents every day during the summer.



Five Teen Tips



1. Set Road Rules

Establish written expectations for safe driving behaviors. A parent-teen driving contract is available online at allstate.com/teen to help parents and teens set guidelines and consequences.



2. Focus on the Road, Not Your Social Life

Driver error causes 87% of all teen driving accidents. Texting, eating and playing with the radio are all easily avoidable driving distractions.



3. Buckle Up and Slow Down


Speeding is the number one cause of fatal crashes involving teen drivers in Texas, followed by failure to wear safety belts.



4. Learn the Law

Remind teens that Texas graduated driver licensing laws restrict nighttime driving and designate passenger limitations for teen drivers.



5. Don't Drink and Drive

In 2006, 25 percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes had a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level of .08 g/dl or higher.



Surveyed Cities

Allstate's 2009 summer Texas teen driving survey was conducted in the following Texas cities and/or surrounding areas:



-- Abilene -- Beaumont -- Corpus Christi -- Dallas-Fort Worth -- Houston -- Laredo -- San Antonio -- Tyler-Longview

-- Wichita Falls







A total of 233 Texas teen drivers participated in the survey between May 10 and June 11, 2009.



The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate(R)" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help individuals in approximately 17 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Customers can access Allstate products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through approximately 14,700 exclusive Allstate agencies and financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R). Encompass(R) Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. The Allstate Financial Group provides life insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers. Customers can also access information about Allstate Financial Group products and services at myallstatefinancial.com.





SOURCE The Allstate Corporation