TEEN DRIVE SAFE CHALLENGE COMING TO AMALIE ARENA

By The Hockey Hottie on January 9, 2018

Bolts, Mercury Insurance Team up to Teach Safe Driving Habits to Lightning High School Hockey Teens

WHEN:	Mon., January 15, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
WHO:	The Tampa Bay Lightning and Mercury Insurance have teamed up to impart safe driving habits to local Tampa Bay Lightning High School Hockey League players.
WHAT:	Driving school safety professionals, Tampa Police Officers and MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, instructors will lead local high school teens through a series of driving skills and classroom activities at AMALIE Arena to prepare them for driving in inclement weather and keeping their attention on the road ahead. Activities will include accident avoidance, car control on a wet and slippery surface, slalom cone course and emergency braking procedures. Tampa Police Officers and MADD instructors will also discuss proper driving safety, distracted driving and graduated driving licensing laws, as well as the consequences of drinking under the age of 21. The importance of the information will be reinforced by the Tampa Bay Lightning who will host the event.
WHY:	Florida is third in the nation for teen driver deaths. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens nationally, and many lives could have been saved with better training and more focus and attention on the road. The event helps to kick off the Mercury Insurance Drive Safe Challenge program – designed to help reduce, or even stop, teen driver crashes and deaths – in Florida.
VISUALS:	Teens learning how to avoid an accident through evasive maneuvering of Honda Civics. Teens testing their skills by navigating through a distracted driving course, slick track that simulates hydroplaning cars and more. TV cameras and reporters will be allowed in the cars to for first-hand experience and in-car footage. Safety presentation helping teens understand the consequences of reckless driving habits, street racing, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and improper cell phone use.
INTERVIEWS:	The teen drivers, Tampa Bay Lightning alumni and representatives from Mercury Insurance, MADD and Tampa Police Department, will be available for media interviews.
WHERE:	AMALIE ARENA 401 Channelside Drive Tampa, FL 33602 Parking for media is available in the 15-minute circle