Petty drivers headlining Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop

NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- Handing over the car keys to a newly licensed driver can be a stressful experience for parents, and many often wonder if they've done enough to prepare their teenagers for the responsibility of driving. Because Allstate understands the importance of keeping teens safe behind the wheel, the company has partnered with Richard Petty Motorsports and its drivers to visit high schools across the country and promote Allstate's Parent-Teen Driving Contract.

Sorenson to visit Campbell High

Peachtree City, Ga., native Reed Sorenson and his mother, Becky, will headline the Allstate Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop at Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga., on Wednesday.

Campbell students will be encouraged to visit www.allstate.com/teen with their parents to complete Allstate's interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract, which helps parents establish safe driving guidelines for their teen driver in a variety of categories to help minimize distractions behind the wheel.

During the race weekend, Reed and his pit crew will wear a specially designed wrist band with the message "GA-198" to honor the 198 teenagers in Georgia who lost their lives in car crashes in 2007.

This is the third year of the Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop program sponsored by Allstate, the official insurance sponsor of RPM. The interactive, racing-themed initiative visits high schools in Sprint Cup Series race markets and features RPM drivers talking to parents and teens about ways to promote teen safe driving, including adoption of Allstate's interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract, available at www.allstate.com/teen.

The contract is the centerpiece of Allstate's national teen driving campaign and enables parents to discuss safe-driving practices with their teens. It includes 'agreements' and 'consequences' for eight categories, including: speeding and tickets; time of day; crashes; number of passengers; drinking and driving; seatbelts; cell phones / music / other distractions and grades.

Headlining the Pit Stop events this year, RPM drivers Kasey Kahne and Reed Sorenson will stop by select high schools prior to the Cup Series races in those markets to lead discussions about the risks associated with teen driving and to answer questions from parents and students. Joining them will be SPEED TV's John Roberts, who will serve as the emcee. Beginning in March, events are currently scheduled in Atlanta, Ga., Nashville, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and Philadelphia, Pa.

According to the "Allstate America's Teen Driving Hotspots" study, released in the spring of 2008, Nashville (fourth), Birmingham (fifth), Atlanta (eighth) and Philadelphia (31st) are ranked among the nation's deadliest metro areas for fatal teen crashes.

Although the Pit Stop program is designed to encourage safe driving conversations among parents and teens, the events will also raise awareness for the magnitude of this epidemic in each of the markets it visits. During the race weekend of each Pit Stop event, RPM drivers and their pit crews will wear special Allstate wristbands spotlighting the number of teen driving fatalities from 2007 in that state where the NASCAR race is occurring. Parents and teens attending the Pit Stop events will also receive the special wristband inscribed with this number and Allstate's teen driving Web site address.

"For more than 10 years, car crashes have been the number one killer of teens," said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate's vice president of marketing. "Allstate and Richard Petty Motorsports understand the best way to educate teenagers on the virtues of safe driving is through their parents. This partnership allows us to create a unique and interactive forum for parents and teens to hear about safe driving from guys who go 200 miles per hour but understand how to stay in control. Hopefully, these events will initiate that important conversation between teens and their parents about safe driving."

The Allstate Teen Safe Driving Pit Stops will include an interactive discussion with RPM drivers where they will field questions from teens and their parents as well as provide safe driving techniques. The Allstate Safety Zone, an interactive safe driving mobile display, will accompany the Pit Stop at the high schools and provide an illustration of important safety components in NASCAR stock cars.