National honor for suburban teen tackling teen crashes

An Andover teenager is receiving a national honor for her efforts toward reducing traffic mayhem involving young drivers and passengers.

Natalie Hayford, 16, has been selected to receive the Allstate Foundation's inaugural "Teen Activist of the Year Award," the foundation said today.

"I take activism very seriously, and it's a big part of my life," Hayford said in a news release from the foundation. "I love helping others and encouraging positive choices in my peers, and I feel very lucky to be rewarded for something I love. ... I hope to continue to convey safe driving habits for years to come."

Hayford is being given $10,000 from the foundation, which she is putting into a college fund. Also, she selected the Anoka High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapter to receive an additional $5,000 grant in her honor, provided by the foundation, to continue youth safety efforts.

"Teens have the power to positively influence their peers and communities and ultimately curb teen driving deaths," said David Prendergast, assistant field vice president of Allstate's Midwest Region and father of a teenage driver. "Hayford truly went above and beyond in working to raise awareness for this critical issue."

Last year, Hayford collaborated with Minnesota Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith to create three public service announcements. She also co-wrote and co-produced a television program featuring experts' advice on educating teen drivers, and she helped produce a school television segment encouraging teens to speak up about unsafe driving.

This year, she and the Anoka SADD team are planning to star in a DVD about teens and reckless driving that will be shown to health classes across Minnesota.

Last week, a one-vehicle crash in St. Louis County illustrates precisely what Hayford is trying to prevent. An 18-year-old suspected drunken driver and his three passengers -- ages 16, 17 and 23 -- were ejected from their vehicle about 3 miles north of Chisholm.

None of the four were buckled in, said Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Feiro. "[Seat belts] probably would have kept them in the vehicle, and they probably would've walked away" from the accident, Feiro said this afternoon. Instead, all four were hospitalized with various injuries, he said.

Parent being honored as well

The foundation also is honoring Laura Marchetti of Valrico, Fla., with the Parent Activist of the Year Award. Marchetti's 16-year-old daughter was not wearing a seat belt when she died two years ago in a traffic crash.

Last year, Marchetti created the "Cross Your Heart Promise" program, an initiative aimed at getting Florida's teens to promise to wear seat belts; presented "A Night of Seat Belt Awareness" at a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game in partnership with the team's foundation; helped to produce a public service announcement shown in area movie theaters; and supported the "Battle of the Belts" competition between 18 high schools in Hillsborough County.

"I lost my 16-year-old daughter, Katie, on March 4, 2006, from a preventable death from not wearing her seat belt -- her belted driver survived with barely a scratch," said Marchetti. "My goal is to empower teens to take responsibility, realize they are not invincible, and wear their seat belts every time they get into a vehicle."

The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of the Allstate Corp. insurance company.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482