Erie, Pa. -- July 7, 1998 -- John Jaffee, an Erie Insurance agent with Kelly & Associates in Urbana, Maryland, is doing his part to educate teenagers about safe driving.

Kelly & Associates is a business partner with Urbana High School, and as part of that partnership, John began presenting safe driving assemblies to the students there shortly after he joined the agency in 1996.

"We're a community agency; our goal is to provide service to the community," John explained. "The safe driving assemblies are a good way to tie in what we do as an insurance agency and promote safe driving among teenagers."

Any Urbana High school student who wants to obtain a parking permit for their school is required to attend John's presentation along with a parent or guardian.

"By having the kids and their parents attend, we're hitting home both ways," John said. "I get a lot of feedback from parents. I've run into people at church, in stores or they drop by the agency to thank me for giving the presentations."

The effort to promote safe driving habits among teens doesn't stop with the assemblies, which John presents twice a year. He and agency owner Jim Kelly also request that young drivers who are added to a policy meet with them at their office to discuss the importance of responsible driving.

Jim Kelly also offers the same opportunity to new drivers, no matter what school they attend. When a new driver is added to the policy, they are invited into the office, along with a parent, to discuss the importance of responsible driving and view the video "Young Drivers--The High Risk Years."

"We know that parents pay a lot of money to have their teenage son or daughter included on the family insurance policy," said John. "It's important that those same teens realize the responsibility they must take every time they get behind the wheel. It's a matter of their safety and the safety of everyone else on the road. We're just trying to do our part to help."

Erie Insurance Group includes the Erie Insurance Exchange, Erie Indemnity Company, Flagship City Insurance Company, Erie Family Life Insurance Company, Erie Insurance Company, the Erie Insurance Property and Casualty Company and the Erie Insurance Company of New York.

Erie Insurance Exchange, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 12th largest insurer of private passenger automobiles and the 24th largest property and casualty insurer in the United States.