The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) is pleased to announce that State Farm has generously granted $50,000 to the Teen Driver Challenge, an educational course that provides teen driver education. This program has been a vital contribution in keeping Florida’s teen drivers, and everyone on the roadway, safe. State Farm has granted a total of $810,000 to the program since 2011.

“We are so thankful for State Farm’s support over the past ten years that has helped keep this program completely free for Florida’s teen drivers,” said FSA President Sheriff Bobby Schultz. “We look forward to maintaining this partnership to keep our roads safe, and our youngest drivers informed.”

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. The program is currently available in over 40 counties and coming to more soon.

Deputy Michael Snowhill from Indian River County Sheriff’s office described the impact of the program, “Every student becomes a success story when they attend the Teen Driver Challenge. As instructors, we see the amazing transformation in confidence and driving skills in each driver throughout our time together.”

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 and follow us on Instagram. 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 the Sheriffs of Florida, approximately 3,500 business leaders and 90,000 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 has established and funded the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches with facilities throughout the state to help restore hope, fulfill dreams, and prepare boys and girls for the future. It has grown to be one of the largest and most successful state law enforcement associations in the nation.

About State Farm®:

The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its 19,200 agents and 59,000 employees serve approximately 84 million policies and accounts – over 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies and over 2 million bank and investment planning services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 36 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.