State Farm provides $5k grant to promote safe driving for high schoolers

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. — On Saturday, about 150 local high school students attended a free driver safety program at Travelers Rest High School.

Paid for with a $5,250 grant from State Farm Insurance, the Alive at 25 event was sponsored by the South Carolina National Safety Council.

Alive at 25 is a young driver intervention program that bridges the gap between what teens learn in driver’s education and what behaviors and skills they need to become responsible, crash free drivers.  It focuses on the attitudes, behaviors, and decision making paradigms that young drivers exhibit behind the wheel that cause them to be so frequently involved in motor vehicle crashes.

Written and designed for drivers 15-24 years of age, Alive at 25 is taught by certified law enforcement officers and first responders in one 4 1/2 hour classroom session. Students who attended the class were from Travelers Rest High School, Blue Ridge High School, and Eastside High School.

“Adopting safe driving habits at an early age is key to reducing car accidents and injuries and State Farm is proud to be a partner in this effort,” said local State Farm agency owner Steve Borklund.

Since February 2007, over 131,000 students have completed the Alive at 25 course state wide, and the South Carolina National Safety Council reports a continual decrease in the percentage of overall collisions in South Carolina that are made up of this age group.