“Current State Farm driving data and claims experience show a considerable decline in miles driven and fewer accidents,” said Dan Krause, Senior Vice President. “As a result, we’re looking for ways to continue supporting our North Carolina customers while we monitor and adjust to trends.”

In addition to the auto rate reduction, the discount for participating in Drive Safe & Save™ is increasing to 10%, and empowers drivers to save more on their auto premiums through driving behaviors.

Customer rate reductions will vary based on their individual renewals. Customers are encouraged to visit with their State Farm agent about individual policies, coverage and any opportunities for discounts, including Drive Safe & Save.

To get the claims process started, you can file your claim online, call 1-800-SFCLAIM (800-732-5246) or contact your State Farm agent.

The State Farm Weather and Catastrophe Team is being dispatched to the hardest hit areas. Click the image to learn more about the capabilities of this industry-leading response unit.

More tips and resources:

• Avoid driving if possible. If you have to travel, turn around if the road is flooded or blocked by debris.
• Stay away from downed power lines. Anything touching the power line can carry a charge. Report the downed line and avoid the area.
• Simple Insights:  Hurricane disaster cleanup after the storm

In the News

• CBS WINK TV (Fort Myers, Naples, FL)  Time to review you insurance coverage (08-29-19)
• NBC Ch 6 (Miami) - Are You Ready for Dorian? Get ready now (08-27-19)
• El Nuevo Herald (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Spanish) Is my home insured for hurricanes? (08-26-19)

Throughout All-Star Weekend, the State Farm Home Court fan experience will be at the NBA Crossover Space. Fans will have a locker room experience featuring memorabilia items from Chris Paul, James Harden, and their State Farm agent Cole Perez. Items will include trophies, signed athlete jerseys, Cliff Paul bobble heads, and various other limited-edition items. Fans engagement will trigger historical game highlights or a State Farm commercial to play on a video screen. An augmented reality photo op with Chris Paul will also be available in the lounge. Fans can take a photos to share on their social media channels.

On Sunday, Feb. 17, State Farm will have a PB&J Combination Station at the Bleacher Report X NC event. Constructed as a loaf of bread, fans will be served variations of the NBA’s favorite snack. The State Farm activation features a Gaming Lounge and fans can pose with their friends for a PB&J photo to share on social media. The Bleacher Report X NC is a ticketed event.

State Farm will also premiere two new TV spots over All-Star Weekend. Both continue to demonstrate how State Farm agent Cole Perez (actor Oscar Nuñez) is always here to help NBA All-Stars Chris Paul and James Harden.

Links and details about the commercials:

• In Explosion, State Farm Agent Cole Perez is here to help Chris Paul and James Harden when heating up leftovers in the microwave doesn't go exactly as planned.

• Triple Threat highlights the relationship between Chris Paul and his State Farm Agent Cole Perez, who is always thinking ahead, and the many ways he is here to help.

State Farm sponsored assist patrols in 18 states help keep the nation’s highest-trafficked roadways safe and clear. They reduce congestion, help stranded motorists, and provide traffic control and safety at incident scenes.

Safety patrols are operated by state departments of transportation and toll road authorities. They are known by a variety of names in 40 states. Their free services include changing flat tires, providing a jump-start or small amount of gasoline, and minor safety repairs.

“The safety patrols embody our ‘good neighbor’ philosophy and underscore our commitment to auto safety,” said Ed Gold, advertising director. “They help people recover from the unexpected, which is the heart of the State Farm mission.”

State Farm sponsorship helps increase coverage areas and raises awareness about the patrols. This helps the motoring public feel more secure when traveling the nation’s interstate system. Sponsored highway signs mark coverage areas. The bright red State Farm reflective markings also improve patrol vehicle visibility.

State Farm sponsors the safety patrols in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

State Farm has been committed to roadway safety since its founding in 1922. The company seeks to increase the safety of all drivers and passengers from infancy to the driver’s seat.

*Safety Service Patrol Priorities and Best Practices: USDOT Federal Highway Federal Highway Administration, April 2017

In addition to the operational capabilities granted by these FAA waivers, State Farm will continue to utilize drone technology as a tool for our claim representatives to assist in individual inspections of our customers’ homes and properties related to these hurricanes.

It was less than one month ago when Hurricane Florence struck North and South Carolina. State Farm was the first and only insurance company to receive an FAA waiver allowing Claims pilots to operate drones beyond visual line of sight and over people for damage assessment. Drone flights were coordinated with the FAA and Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) at Virginia Tech as part of the Integration Pilot Program for large-scale damage assessment in Virginia and South Carolina.

State Farm requires the ability to quickly assess damage after significant weather events in order to serve customers as efficiently as possible. Drone technology is an additional tool providing technical capabilities to quickly deploy over an event site and assess damage from the air. Data obtained from drone flights can be used for determining severity of the event for better resource allocation and quick determination of uninhabitable insured property.

State Farm drone pilots will operate eBee fixed-wing drones for flights approved under the FAA waiver for damage assessment. Claims representatives conducting drone flights for roof inspections will utilize Kespry multi-rotor drones.

To get the claims process started, you can file your claim online, call 1-800-SFCLAIM (800-732-5246) or contact your State Farm agent.

The State Farm Weather and Catastrophe Team is being dispatched to the hardest hit areas. Click the image to learn more about the capabilities of this industry-leading response unit.

In The News:

• WFSU -  Insurance Company Takes To The Sky After Hurricane Michael (10/17/18)
• WPTV - West Palm Beach:  Insurance companies use drones to assess storm damage for faster, easier claims process (10/18/18)
• WMBB Live in Panama Beach: The Panama City Mall parking lot has become a staging area for work crews. State Farm also has an insurance claim center set up, and mall staff say the mall is working to reopen.(10-15-18)
• WYFF-Greenville, SC:  Flood Insurance on the Rise After Florence (9/18/18)

• The Weather Channel: What to do before and after a hurricane (09/11/18)

The insurance company has been collaborating with the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) on one of ten elite teams selected earlier this year to the FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP). Their successful application for this unprecedented waiver is a testament to the program’s success in facilitating rapid, research-based advances in drone operations to serve communities’ needs.

“State Farm needs to quickly assess damage after significant weather events,” says Robert Yi, Senior Vice President – State Farm. “Drone technology provides us with the capability to quickly deploy over a catastrophe site and assess damage from the air. The data we obtain from drone flights can be used to help us determine the severity of damage. This also allows us to place our Claims team on-the-ground and evaluate uninhabitable insured property.”

Since May 2018, State Farm has collaborated with MAAP and Virginia Tech’s world-renowned injury biomechanics group to assess a wide range of potential risks and strategies for reducing them; the team collected data on a variety of parameters including the aircraft’s communications performance, navigational precision, and the risk of injury to humans. The strength of the data made a compelling case to the FAA that State Farm could safely conduct sophisticated aerial damage-assessment operations following the devastating impact of Hurricane Florence. That capability gives State Farm additional tools to serve customers and moves the whole drone industry forward.

Current FAA regulations restrict pilots from flying drones beyond their visual line of sight and from flying drones over groups of people. In a catastrophe situation such as Hurricane Florence, access to the area may be challenged by water, debris, and damage to infrastructure. Damage may also extend across a large area, making efficient damage assessment very difficult. The new waiver will make the insurer’s work much easier by allowing longer-distance flights over densely populated areas.

The FAA waiver reflects months of detailed research following a process pioneered by MAAP for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating potential risks presented by drone operations.

“This is a pivotal moment that demonstrates the value of a risk-based safety case development process,” said MAAP director Mark Blanks. “Drone technology has tremendous potential to serve the public, but before we can harness that capability we need to demonstrate conclusively that ambitious operations can be done safely. This waiver, and the volume of research that backs it up, shows that this approach works.”

The disaster-assessment work this waiver will enable exemplifies the purpose of the IPP: to facilitate the next generation of drone applications by working with communities on groundbreaking projects that can improve the public’s quality of life and spur innovation. Through research collaboration with MAAP, State Farm determined that flying the eBee fixed-wing drone reduced the risk of damage to people and property. Manufactured by senseFly, the drone also captures high-resolution imagery.

Earlier this year, the Virginia-based research team was selected for the FAA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced their selection of teams for the multi-year program following a competitive application process. State Farm is the only insurance company selected to participate in the program. Approximately 150 communities applied for the program. Only 10 teams from across the country were selected.

Over the next three years, the Virginia team will explore applications of drone technology including catastrophe response, emergency management, and infrastructure inspection. The day-to-day operations will be managed by Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) at Virginia Tech, which has accumulated significant expertise running one of only seven federal test sites for unmanned aircraft systems. The organization has built a reputation for facilitation of ground-breaking testing while upholding the most rigorous standards of safety.

In The News

• Forbes:  FAA OKs Long-Range Drone Flights Over Populated Areas By State Farm To Assess Florence Damage (9/19/18)

• Unmanned Aerial:  State Farm Granted Key Drone Permissions for Florence Damage Assessment (9/19/18)

• The Roanoke Star:  VA Tech / State Farm Collaborate to Secure FAA Waiver for Drone Operations in Areas Impacted by Hurricane Florence (9/19/18)

To get the claims process started, you can file your claim online, call 1-800-SFCLAIM (800-732-5246) or contact your State Farm agent.

The State Farm Weather and Catastrophe Team is being dispatched to the hardest hit areas. Click the image to learn more about the capabilities of this industry-leading response unit.

In The News:

• Forbes: FAA OKs Long-Range Drone Flights Over Populated Areas By State Farm To Assess Florence Damage (9/19/18)

• WYFF-Greenville, SC:  Flood Insurance on the Rise After Florence (9/18/18)

• NBC29-Charlottesville: State Farm Mobile Center Readying to Roll Out of Albemarle County Office (09/14/18)

• Weather Channel: Florence coverage, Jake from State Farm dog (09/13/18)

• WUSA-Washington, DC: What's the difference between water coverage and flood coverage? (09/11/18)

• Bloomington Pantagraph: State Farm: 'Ready to respond' to Hurricane Florence (09/12/18)

• WCCB-Charlotte: State Farm Insurance Not Making Policy Changes In Light Of Hurricane Florence (09/11/18)

• The Weather Channel: What to do before and after a hurricane (09/11/18)

"The company's current financial strength is allowing us to pass along a rate reduction to our North Carolina customers," said State Farm Senior Vice President Dan Krause. "We continually evaluate how we can best serve our customers and are very pleased to be able to offer this rate decrease in North Carolina"

Overall changes in premiums for individual motorists will vary depending on the specific details of an individual customer's policy and chosen coverages. The effective date for new and renewal business is June 25, 2018. North Carolina customers with questions can contact their local State Farm agent to discuss their individual situation.

In addition to this rate reduction, State Farm agents are able to review with new and existing customers the many opportunities for additional discounts that may apply to an individual's unique circumstances. A rate decrease combined with discounts offers an exceptional long-term value to State Farm customers.

That was just the walk to class. Once the door closed and Delilah was face-to-face with her peers, the up-close-and-personal bullying began. People made fun of the way Delilah dressed, talked and wore her hair. They punched, name-called and quickly contributed to her crumbling self-esteem.

On the days she could stand to stay in class, she was too distracted to focus. When the day seemed too much to face, Delilah pretended to be sick, missing days of school.

Soon, her grades tumbled, and she was failing her classes. Bullying was stealing more than Delilah’s confidence — it was stealing her education and her childhood.

Turning things around

At this point, Delilah needed a really good reason to keep going to school. She didn’t know it yet, but she needed to meet Ms. Edith Penny, a program coordinator with Communities In Schools of the Rocky Mount Region.

“That time was a really tough time for me…it was to a point where I didn’t want to come to school at all,” Delilah said. “I don’t know how I passed the sixth grade. I thank CIS for getting me past that.”

Identifying and removing barriers for students is part of the job for CIS. Students receive an individualized student support plan to target academic and non-academic barriers that are impacting attendance, behavior and coursework.

For Delilah, CIS stepped in to help with attendance and coursework. Ms. Penny helped Delilah in the classes she was failing, and got her removed from the bullying environment. Attendance was improving, and so were Delilah’s grades.

“The following year, everything was different. I was around a different group of students,” said Delilah Jones. “I was part of CIS.”

A new year, a brighter future

With her new support system, Delilah began to see a bright future she could call her own. CIS helped her explore different career opportunities and showed her college was a real option.

Today, she is a graduate of East Carolina University and walks down a different hallway as a confident young woman shaping the lives of today’s youth. Since February 2016, Delilah is a teacher’s assistant at Tar River Academy.

She works with students who have fallen behind in their coursework and are overcoming behavioral issues. Delilah knows they can reach their full potential — because she did.

“I have relationships with the students to the point they come to me when they have a problem or are having a bad day and just need someone to talk to,” she said.

As the middle school memories begin to fade, Delilah wants to be present in her students’ lives and help them get through the tough times. “I just remember Ms. Penny always being there.”

Delilah empathizes with today’s students who deal with cyberbullying. She has words of encouragement, “Know you’re not alone and you have a support system.”

“Across our state, you will find gaps where students lack access to the help they need to achieve their full potential,” said State Farm Sales Leader and Communities in Schools NC Board Member, Andy Shoffner. “State Farm is committed to closing this gap and has joined forces with CIS to expand to more low-performing schools. It is a wise investment.”

Fortunately for North Carolina State University students, a group of State Farm agents are here to help.

Sixteen agents from across the state started a new Career Development Center Sales Lab. The center will give students access to resources needed for real world experience in sales.

With agent donations and a company grant, NC State outfitted a new sales lab. The multi-functional space has high definition cameras, computers, software, and workplace furnishings. All of which are similar to a real life office setting.

The students can participate in recorded mock interviews and sales calls. They will be able to review and critique their performance to improve interview skills. They can also share their results with potential employers.

The agents mentor and coach students. This includes preparing for events like the National Collegiate Sales Competition.

“The ability of students to sell themselves and sell their ideas is something that never goes away,” shared Agent and volunteer Chad Richards. "Whether these students think of themselves in a traditional sales role or not."

The new sales lab will provide opportunities for students to think critically and solve complex problems. These skills can help with job recruitment after graduation.

“We believe in investing in education,” Agent Charles Oxendine shared. “So we are doing everything we can to grow this country, as well as grow State Farm.”

Career paths can take unplanned twists and turns…for canines too.

This was the case for three sisters – Duchess, Darby and Pearl. Paws with a Cause (PAWS) bred the sisters to be Assistance Dogs.

The road to careers for the adorable, feisty sisters began with separation at eight weeks and placement in loving foster homes for a year.

The pups were homeschooled to learn basic commands, tasks and obedience. They got to show off their skills to their friends in weekly classes at PAWS. But, it was not all work, there was plenty of time to play for the high energy siblings.

As they approached their second birthdays, the girls returned together at PAWS for more training. They worked hard, but had fun learning advanced tasks like retrieving, picking up objects and opening doors. Like all young adults, the sisters had to master their classes so they could one day become Assistance Dogs.

But, it turned out the three girls, with their rambunctious natures and joy for everything, just weren’t suited for this line of work. Fortunately, PAWS prepared for this with a Plan B.

The Nose Knows

Once again, the girls went their separate ways to explore new career paths. Pearl moved to a foster home in Maine to learn how to detect bed bugs. But after several months, she discovered bed bugs weren’t her calling. Her real talent was sniffing out accelerants.

Meanwhile, at their foster home in Indiana, Duchess and Darby made the same discovery. Three sisters with the same gift!

Supported by State Farm, the girls happily reunited in August 2015 for four weeks of formal Arson Dog training in Alfred, Maine. It was there they became canine crime fighters and found their forever partners.

Graduation was a proud, joyful day for the sisters, even though it meant they would be leaving each other permanently. The girls are living their happily ever after’s in neighboring states.

• Fire Marshal Ben Gouldman & Duchess (Stafford, Virginia)

• Lt. Brian Dalrymple & Pearl (Richmond, Virginia)

• Fire Marshal Danny Hill & K9 Darby (New Bern, North Carolina)

PAWS can’t accomplish their work without help. Because of the increasing demand for Assistance Dogs, PAWS has a foster program for individuals interested in caring for and training a puppy, with the ultimate satisfaction of returning the dog to PAWS to become an Assistance dog. If you want more information regarding the foster puppy program, please visit www.pawswithacause.org.

My name is Doug Darrell and I’m a retired police officer. One of my hardest duties as a cop was knocking on a door to tell a parent their child had been in a crash and would never return home.

I’m also a dad and when my sons reached driving age, I was scared to death. What if, one day, some police officer came to my door to tell me my son was dead? After confiding this to a friend, that friend challenged me to do something.

At a picnic table in 1999 we created the Streetsafe Lifesaving Driving Experience. It’s a combination of driving exercises and discussions with students and parents about responsibilities, choices, driving behaviors, costs and consequences. The end goal: help save teen lives.

Crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, so I never anticipated any difficulty in convincing others something needed to be done. For years, experts told me “nothing works with teens” and “you’re wasting your time.” Banks turned us down, we couldn’t find insurance, and even willing first responder instructors doubted Streetsafe could get off the ground.

Eight years after the picnic table discussion, we finally had a breakthrough. We were able to get insurance and secure financing. My wife and I invested personal savings, bought vehicles and equipment and held the first Streetsafe session in July 2007…in the rain.

The response from students – from the first session through today – reinforces our belief that we are on the right track.

“It was a great opportunity to bring the real dangers of reckless driving into perspective. Working with the instructors was refreshing,” shared Celestine Eshiet, a student participant. “They were non-judgmental and were really in it to help us appreciate the idea of street safety. I’m now committed to driving safer and watching my speed.”

Parents thank us for teaching them about the financial liabilities they face having an inexperienced driver on their insurance and for reinforcing their own role and responsibilities in their child’s driver education.

“StreetSafe was a fantastic experience for my son! He thoroughly enjoyed it and has a greater respect overall when driving. It also scared him a bit, which is good,” shared Todd Engle, a parent. “He needed to see what overconfidence can do to an inexperienced young driver. I know my wife and I made the right decision enrolling him in the course.”

In 2008, the first full year of StreetSafe, we completed ten hands-on sessions. Today, we have 10 regional teams and over 200 first responders, district attorneys, and judges teaching the program throughout NC.

“Of all the feedback I receive from the community, I consistently hear nothing but praise about this program. Whether it is high school students, college kids, or parents, everyone agrees this is time well spent,” shared Ben David, New Hanover County District Attorney.

Thankfully, State Farm has been along for the ride since 2009, supporting StreetSafe programs with funding and agent volunteers.

In 2015, we completed 153 hands-on-sessions, dozens of alcohol education workshops and high school presentations reaching nearly 12,000 young drivers and their families.

Never in our most far-reaching dreams did we expect to find ourselves reaching more than 80,000 people.

We hoped to find a way to make kids safer and more responsible on the road. We think we have. And if we save just one life, it has been worth it….

It was a day that started like any other day. School was out. Summer was just getting underway. Seventeen year-old Brian Garlock awoke early and went to his summer job cleaning rental properties with his friend in Pineville, North Carolina.

Just before noon on this ordinary Thursday, following behind his friend's car, Brian turned left - not realizing there was a truck driving toward him. The truck hit Brian’s car on the driver’s side door with an impact so great his car spun 180 degrees. He was then struck by another pick-up truck. Although he was rushed by ambulance to the nearest hospital and then flown by medical helicopter to the main trauma center in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina; Brian’s surgeon notified his family he did not survive.

Tammy’s Devastating Discovery

Nine days after an accident that changed Brian’s family forever, his parents had the unimaginable responsibility of dealing with what remained of Brian’s car. They had given it to him one week prior to the crash that claimed his life. As his mother, Tammy, was diligently searching to get everything from the car that had to do with her child, she spotted something wedged behind what used to be the driver’s-side area. Tammy was determined to retrieve the item. Crawling through twisted metal and over broken glass, what she found was Brian’s cell phone - still intact.

She took the phone home and plugged it in to charge. What she discovered after turning on the phone was a devastating truth. At the time Brian was making that left-hand turn behind his friend’s car, he was also attempting to call his girlfriend to let her know he was running late for their lunch. He never saw the truck barreling down on him. Brian Garlock was fatally distracted in that instant by his cell phone. His family will never be the same. The grief of losing him continues.

An Instant Message Reminder

Tammy Garlock is now on a mission to save others from experiencing the type of tragedy her family went through. She is a strong advocate for teen driver safety. She collaborates with safety partners, including State Farm. She also speaks at schools and driver’s education classes.

She hopes the pink and black “Remember Brian” bracelets created in her son’s memory will serve as an instant message of a different kind. Tammy encourages drivers to remember how quickly things can go wrong when reaching for, or using a phone, while driving.

“Make a better choice than my son did that day. The life you end up saving could very well be your own.”

You can learn more about Tammy’s efforts and make a pledge to stop using your phone while driving on her website, DyingChangesEverything.org.

Elle is a therapy dog, but that isn’t why she is misunderstood. It is because she is a pit bull. In honor of Pit Bull Awareness Month in October, her story shows the positive qualities of the breed, and the influence a good owner can have on a dog and a community.

Elle and owner Leah Brewer live in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Since 2010 they worked as a team with Therapy Dogs Incorporated visiting nursing homes and schools in their community. The also participate in a reading program called “Tail Wagging Tales” to help students practice reading and strengthen their confidence. Students read to Elle and when they feel ready, they read and make presentations in front of their class.

“Elle was featured in a children’s book called Kiefer and Friends, and all her readers loved reading a story with her as one of the featured dogs,” said Brewer. “Elle doesn’t care if the student is a beginning reader or doesn’t like to read in front of people. She calmly sits by their side with a non-judgmental ear and offers a reassuring paw when need.”

Overcoming Breed Prejudices

When Leah first approached schools about the reading program, she was met with skepticism because Elle was a pit bull. That didn’t stop Leah. She was determined to show that Elle was a wonderful ambassador for a breed of dog that is often misunderstood.

Elle’s training and mission has as much to do with changing perceptions of pit bulls as with anything else. Elle helped a young boy overcome his fear of dogs during the library program, Brewer saw that as a breakthrough.

“At first, he was interested in Elle, but wouldn’t come near her,” Brewer said. “Over the span of a year, he went from that to being able to walk her on those final two sessions.”

Leah and Elle began to change minds by visiting the local retirement home and schools to demonstrate the safe ways children and seniors should interact with dogs. (Sadly, more than half of all dog bite victims in this country are children and senior citizens.)

“I remind the children that even though they know Elle, she is a dog and because of that, they should always ask first before petting her. Many times I have to remind the adults of this too because when they see Elle, they want to hug her. I can tell by Elle’s body language that she isn’t comfortable so I politely remind them about the proper way to approach a dog, even a dog they know.”

People began to notice that even though Elle is a strong dog, she has a strong, responsible and loving owner. Soon, the school was open to the idea of the reading program.

All of the years of hard work in their small pocket of North Carolina didn’t go unnoticed. In 2013, Leah Brewer and Elle the pit bull were honored when Elle was named the 2013 American Hero Dog of the Year at the American Humane Association’s (AHA) Hero Dog Awards. Once misunderstood, Elle is now the “Hometown Hero” in her community.

A new mission: Dog bite prevention

Today Elle is an ambassador for a new message about dog bite prevention and the fact that any dog can bite. Educating the public about responsible dog ownership and how to safely interact with a dog is more important than a dogs’ breed when it comes to reducing dog bite incidents.

To help spread this message and serve as a role model for other dog owners, Leah and Elle were invited to be a part of the National Dog Bite Prevention Week Coalition (May 18-24, 2014) by State Farm.

“State Farm met Leah and Elle during the 2013 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards and we knew that they would be great representatives for dog bite prevention,” said Heather Paul, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm. “Educating children about the proper way to interact with dogs and the importance of being a loving and responsible owner are key to reducing dog bites. Leah and Elle are perfect examples for this message.”