The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) is pleased to announce once again that State Farm has generously granted $75,000 to the Teen Driver Challenge, an educational course that provides teen driver education. A total of $685,000 has been granted by State Farm since 2011. The check was presented to the FSA President, Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter, during this week’s Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference banquet. Since 2011, State Farm has continued to support the Teen Driver Challenge. This program has been a vital contribution in keeping Florida’s teen drivers, and everyone on the roadway, safe.

“We are so grateful for the past nine years of support from State Farm to help keep this program running successfully,” said FSA President Sheriff Mark Hunter. “Each year we look forward to working with them to keep our roads safe, especially for the state of Florida’s youngest drivers.”

At the request of the Florida Sheriffs, the Teen Driver Challenge was created in 2007 to lower the high crash and fatality rate of young drivers. It’s the largest commercial driving school in Florida and is offered to teens at no charge. The cost to run this program is covered by grants from State Farm and contributions from local sheriff’s offices. Instructors are certified law enforcement officers with accreditations from the State of Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, under the Florida Sheriffs Association’s State of Florida Commercial Driving School License.

“State Farm strongly supports efforts that increase auto safety, specifically teen driver safety,” said Jose Soto, State Farm Public Affairs Brand Promotion Specialist. “The Teen Driver Challenge is a perfect fit with our overall strategy to encourage safe driving habits in Florida.”

The importance of the Teen Driver Challenge comes from the statistics. According to the Center for Disease Control, teens are involved in three times as many fatality crashes as other drivers with vehicle accidents being the leading cause of fatalities. More than 2,000 students successfully complete the Teen Driver Challenge in Florida each year.

For more information on the Teen Driver Challenge, visit http://www.teendriverchallenge.com/ and remember to like the page on Facebook. To register for the program or find class offerings in your area, please contact your local Sheriff’s Office.

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