Allstate program pushing for safer-driving teenagers

Ray Evernham can still remember the shock.

The two young sons of Top Fuel racer Doug Herbert were killed in an automobile accident in January. The accident occurred around Lake Norman, where Evernham lives. Seventeen-year-old Jon Herbert and his younger brother James, 12, were gone in a heartbeat when their car collided with another.

Allstate, one of Evernham's family of sponsors, has created the Allstate Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop, an interactive, racing-focused program that will promote teen safe driving in key NASCAR markets throughout the year. One of those markets is Charlotte, and as we speak, one of the events is going on near Lowe's Motor Speedway.

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The goal of the initiative is to facilitate communication between parents and teens about the importance of teen safe driving and provide tools to spark these conversations, including Allstate's interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract, available at www.allstate.com/teen.

"It's important to me because what happened to Doug Herbert's children happened two miles from my house," Evernham said. "I know him, I see him, I consider him a friend. I volunteered for this with Allstate because it's important, and maybe we can save the life of one child."

Evernham and his drivers, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Patrick Carpentier, visit local high schools in the area to promote the idea of safe driving not just to the teens, but to their parents as well. For someone who makes a living driving at 200 mph, kids tend to listen to what you have to say.

"You have the ability to maybe give something back, where kids will listen to you," Evernham said. "I've seen so many tragedies, where something changes a young person's life forever or they lose their lives. It's great that Allstate is really looking at that.

"People say, 'Oh, well, they're just trying to sell insurance.' I don't think so. I mean, they probably are trying to sell insurance, but they're doing something good and caring, they're sending a good message. When you bring in Kasey Kahne or Elliott Sadler and they speak, I think the kids listen."

Pam Hollander, Allstate's director of sponsorships, promotions and public relations, said that the Teen Safe Driving initiative is not new, but the added imprimatur of the Gillett Evernham Motorsports personnel is entering its second year.

"Through the relationship we have with GEM, we saw a phenomenal tie-in on a topic that makes sense for both of us," Hollander said. "These are people who are all about safety. While they may speed on the course, they're doing it with very protective measures. Who better to talk to teens and their parents?"

Hollander said that while Allstate's research shows teens do talk to their parents a lot about this kind of thing, there's something elemental to having a racing driver talk about safety in person.

"We've done some research and we've seen 75 percent of teens actually look to their parents for advice," Hollander said. "There's some intrigue in having someone who has spent so much time behind the wheel of a car talking to kids about safety. There are all sorts of parallels about what a Kasey or an Elliott can do to protect themselves on the racetrack and what you, teenager, and you, parent, can do to protect yourselves behind the wheel while you're out on the road."

Evernham said it's about getting through to teens on a basic level.

"Sometimes, we didn't listen to our parents, but it took a celebrity or someone with a story or someone who drives at 200 mph to get us to do that," the former racer said. "If he tells you not to use cell phones, to pay attention ... it's about paying attention, and driving is a privilege. In a heartbeat, your life can change.

"When you walk into those auditoriums and kids are fooling around and all, you start talking about seat belts and safety and all of that, and it gets pretty quiet, kids start paying attention when they realize that they could be responsible for someone else's safety. I don't think they realize that."

Highlights of the Allstate Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop include an interactive discussion with GEM drivers and Evernham and an open forum and question-and-answer session among the drivers, parents and teens. The Allstate Safety Zone, an interactive safe driving mobile display, will also visit the high schools and provide illustrations of important safety components in NASCAR stock cars. Computer kiosks will be available for parents and teens to complete Allstate's Interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract.

Evernham summed up his participation, and that of his team, by saying that giving back to help prevent tragic circumstances is a no-brainer.

"You want to race, you want to make money and do all the stuff that comes with it," Evernham said, "but if you can do something good along the way, that's like a home run."