STOPPED PROGRAM IIABNY Announces Recipients of Grants, Greatly Expanding

Contact: Bruce Barry Tim Dodge

IIABNY IIABNY
800-962-7950, ext. 223 800-962-7950, ext. 229
bbarry@iiabny.org tdodge@iiabny.org

IIABNY Announces Recipients of Grants, Greatly Expanding
Safe Driving Program Aimed at Young Motorists

(Syracuse, New York, Aug. 26, 2005) — The first recipients of a new grant program enabling seven additional counties to establish a safe, young driver’s program were announced today at a news conference held by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York Inc. The announcement, which was held today during Law Enforcement Day at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, marks an important milestone in the Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers or STOPPED program.

IIABNY, a statewide trade association based in DeWitt and representing 18,000 independent insurance agents, brokers and others employed at more than 1,900 locations, is awarding a total of $6,500 to the sheriff’s offices in Cayuga, Chenango, Delaware, Erie, Madison, Oswego and Rockland counties. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office will receive $500, while individual $1,000 grants will be presented to the other sheriff’s offices. The sheriffs will use the grant money as they see fit, such as covering related printing, mailing, promotion and database expenses, in order to set up the STOPPED program in their counties.

“The IIABNY grants represent the largest one-time expansion of the STOPPED program during the four years it has operated in New York state,” said Kathy Weinheimer, the association’s senior vice president of industry relations and education. “In New York, the sheriff’s offices in only four counties administer the STOPPED program. With the generosity of independent insurance agents and brokers across the state, the parents of young drivers in seven more counties will have the opportunity to register their vehicles in the program and gain the peace of mind of knowing they’ll be informed if their automobile is driven improperly before something tragic occurs.

“We hope this 175 percent expansion in the STOPPED program is only the beginning and other organizations will provide their support so that this program will be working to save the lives of young motorists in all 62 counties.”

STOPPED is a voluntary parental notification program currently administered in New York state by the sheriff’s offices in Onondaga, Chautauqua, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties. Parents, after registering their vehicles with the sheriff’s department through the STOPPED program, are informed of traffic infractions or improper driving behavior by drivers under 21-years of age.

Weinheimer was accompanied at today’s news conference by Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin E. Walsh, a strong advocate in working toward seeing the STOPPED program adopted statewide. Also participating were Cayuga County Sheriff Rob Outhouse, Oswego County Undersheriff Robert Lighthall and Sheriff Thomas E. Mills and Undersheriff Douglas O. Vredenburgh of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association established in 1882 to promote and represent the common business interests of independent property-casualty agents. The association, whose headquarters are located in Dewitt, New York, represents more than 1,900 agencies and their 18,000 employees.