Teens Steer Teens toward a Safer Prom

Erie, PA, April 21, 2006 - Teens listen to their friends. That's the premise of the Erie Insurance Group Lookin' Out safe teen driving program. This year Lookin' Out is expanding to include an all new activity called "You Hold the Keys," designed to encourage safe driving on prom night, one of the most exciting yet potentially dangerous evenings of the academic year.

With the "You Hold the Keys" program already underway in 38 schools in five states where Erie Insurance operates, the program is expected to impact an estimated 20,000 high school juniors and seniors. Lookin' Out is managed by student committees with assistance from a local Erie Insurance Agent.

Like all Lookin' Out activities, students will be driving home the "You Hold the Keys" safe teen driving message with the help of local Erie Insurance Group Agents and a free prom kit. Specially-designed posters will hang throughout the schools in the weeks and days leading up to prom night, and students will be asked to sign a "You Hold the Keys" banner, pledging their commitment to safe driving. Students will also receive a "You Hold the Keys" key ring as a reminder to drive safely every time they sit behind the wheel of their cars. The "You Hold the Keys" kits are intended to enhance any activities the schools already have planned to promote responsible decisions on prom night.

"The 'You Hold the Keys' program is a great way for schools to reinforce the message of making safe, responsible decisions on prom night," said John Yore, principal of Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Maryland. "The students on our Lookin' Out committee really get creative with planning ways to encourage their peers to drive safely and this is just one more fun and exciting way they can work together to send a message that will get through to teen drivers." "We realize the importance of promoting safe teen driving, and we also know that teens listen to their friends," said Maryjane Eisnor of Eisnor Insurance Agency in Clark Mills, New York. Eisnor is working with students on the Lookin' Out committee at Westmoreland High School. "That's why we've developed a partnership with local teens. In working with students through this program, we've had the opportunity to hear their perceptions about driving. Their perceptions are the driving force for Lookin' Out."

Independent agents are helping to make a difference throughout the school year with the Lookin' Out safe teen driving program. High school juniors and seniors from 42 schools in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia have been affected by the Lookin' Out program to date.

"Many times traffic accidents can be avoided because they occur in a moment of carelessness," Erie Insurance Group President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey A. Ludrof explained. "Driving is like any other skill - it requires education, mentoring, practice and life experience to reach proficiency. We believe that by providing the Lookin' Out program and kits such as 'You Hold the Keys' to schools we are elevating awareness of the risk factors associated with teen driving collisions and can help save lives and create better drivers."

Erie Insurance provides schools participating in Lookin' Out with a grant to help spread the word about safe teen driving. The grants are used to fund Lookin' Out safe driving awareness programs and activities in schools. Lookin' Out has been managed successfully in high schools since 2001 and has awarded more than $130,000 in grants to educate teen drivers. Schools do not have to be participating in the Lookin' Out program to receive the "You Hold the Keys" prom kit.

The Erie Insurance Group Lookin' Out program is managed from the company's home office in Erie, Pennsylvania and administered on a local, community level by ERIE Agents. The Agents participate in the program voluntarily.

For more information about Erie Insurance Group, visit the company's web site at www.erieinsurance.com. To learn more about the Lookin' Out program visit the Lookin' Out web site at www.erieinsurance.com/lookinout or call (814) 870-2285.