MEDIA ADVISORY: THP Safety Education Officers Join State Farm Tailgate Tour in Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. --- This weekend, the Tennessee Highway Patrol joins State Farm in helping promote teen driver safety during the 2008 High School Tailgate Tour. THP Safety Education Lieutenant Bobby Fuller will demonstrate potential results from failure to use safety restraints with THP’s rollover simulator as well as the effects of alcohol on a driver with DUI goggles.

WHO:      THP Lieutenant Bobby Fuller & Sergeant Carl Wilbanks
                State Farm Agents Ken Davis, Chris Fleming, Brandon Jones, Darrell Kimbel,
                Joe White, AFE and Lee Berry, AFS

WHAT:     Roll Over Simulator Demonstration & Driver Safety Tips

WHEN:      Friday, October 24, 2008, 6 - 9 p.m.

WHERE:    Southside High School, featuring Crockett County @ Jackson South Side
                 84 Harts Bridge Road, Jackson, Tenn.

The THP joined the 2008 State Farm High School Tailgate Tour to spread the word to teens and their parents that driver safety is a lifesaving matter. The Tailgate Tour is of an 18-week schedule of high school football games. The tour is traveling throughout the state to highlight teen driver safety at some of the best of high school football rivalries.  It will conclude with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSA) State Championship at MTSU in Murfreesboro, December 5-6.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car crashes are the leading cause of fatalities among teens in the United States. Nationally, teen drivers are a four times greater risk for crashes than older adults and are involved in 15 percent of fatal crashes, but make up 6.7% of the total driving population. In 2007, 166 Tennessee teenagers were killed in motor vehicle crashes.

For more information contact:    Jill Spry, State Farm Field Marketing Analyst
                                               (615)-426-7026.jill.spry.cgrr@statefarm.com

 The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public.  The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.