The Florida Sheriffs Association is happy to announce that State Farm has generously granted $75,000 to the Teen Driver Challenge, an educational course that provides teen driver education. The check was presented to the FSA President, Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson, during this week’s Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference banquet. State Farm has continued to support the Teen Driver Challenge since 2011, which has been a vital contribution in keeping Florida’s teen drivers, and everyone on the roadway, safe.

“State Farm’s support over the past eight years has been instrumental for the success of this program,” said FSA President Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “We look forward to continue working with them to maintain safety as a priority on our roads and for the youngest drivers throughout the state of Florida.”

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.

“This program does phenomenal work to promote safe driving on our roads,” said Julie Smith, Public Affairs Community Specialist for State Farm. “We are a strong supporter of the Teen Driver Challenge because it endorses auto safety and encourages teens to focus on safe habits when driving.”

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 [url=http://www.teendriverchallenge.com]http://www.teendriverchallenge.com[/url] 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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About Florida Sheriffs Association:
The Florida Sheriffs Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation made up of Florida’s Sheriffs, approximately 3,500 business leaders and 70,000 citizens throughout the state. Founded in 1893, FSA has steadfastly served the citizens of Florida by supporting the needs of the state's law-enforcement community. Through the Florida Sheriffs Association, Sheriffs are given a forum to address lawmakers to push for positive changes in Florida’s public safety arena. FSA also provides Sheriffs' Offices much-needed programs such as affordable training, special task forces and legislative and legal services.  Dedicated to the prevention of juvenile delinquency and the development of lawful, productive citizens, FSA both established and continues to fund the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches with facilities throughout the state to help restore hope, fulfill dreams, and prepare boys and girls for the future. The Florida Sheriffs Association has grown to be one of the largest and most successful state law enforcement associations in the nation. For more information on the Florida Sheriffs Association, visit [url=http://www.flsheriffs.org]http://www.flsheriffs.org[/url].

About State Farm®:
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.