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Allstate, Jonas Bros. To Teens: 'X The TXT'

Allstate

Allstate is partnering with the Jonas Brothers to urge teens to "X the TXT" while driving.

The auto insurer's social initiative will promote the music group's "Road Dogs" softball tour. The 12-city tour kicks off Aug. 6, in Joliet, Ill.

"Road Dogs" started when the Jonas Brothers played recreational softball games while on tour in 2009. This year, they will be playing seven innings of softball at minor league stadiums throughout the country.

At each venue, they will work with Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate to educate fans about the dangers of texting and driving. All events are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets are limited to the stadium's capacity. Allstate is promoting the partnership on the movement's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/XtheTXT.

During the game, fans can join the Jonas Brothers in pledging not to text and drive by adding their thumbprint -- the symbol of their pledge -- to a banner that will be traveling with the "Road Dogs" tour. Participants will receive "TXTNG KLLS" thumb bands to wear as a reminder of their commitment. Throughout the game, fans will also have the opportunity to win a meet-and-greet with the Jonas Brothers.

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Grammy-nominated artist Jordin Sparks kicked off the "X the TXT" campaign last November with a 29-city national tour of pledge events, a Facebook virtual pledge page, and a petition drive urging Congress to address the issue of texting while driving. Most recently, events were held at each of Sparks' 29 concerts during her "Battlefield" tour.

The social initiative is part of Allstate's broader public education efforts to make roads safer, says Joan Walker, senior vice president of corporate relations at Allstate. According to studies, texting while driving makes drivers 23 times more likely to crash.

Texting is one of the most dangerous distractions facing drivers today, particularly among teens, of which car crashes are the number one killer. According to a recent Allstate Foundation study, 49% of driving teens admit to being extremely distracted by texting and instant messaging while driving. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that driver distraction contributes to 25% of all police-reported traffic crashes.

1 comment about "Allstate, Jonas Bros. To Teens: 'X The TXT' ".
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  1. Cliff Medney from Flightpath, August 5, 2010 at 12:44 p.m.

    Great effort on Allstates' part-this couldn't be a more important issue to parents, let alone teens and society as a whole. My son Matt is leading a distracted driving effort he started last year at Umass-pls check it out at projectinstead.com

    BTW, don't you just love everything about the "Jobros"!!!

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