An agreement for life

By: B.K. NECESSARY of the Daily Telegraph staff

April 02, 2002

BLUEFIELD - Having a teenage driver in the family can be stressful enough without the added tension of worrying about their safety and the safety of others when they're behind the wheel of a vehicle.

A Canadian company has launched a unique idea, which may relieve some pressure by adding mutual trust, responsibility and cooperation between teen drivers and parents.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2000, 34 percent of male drivers involved in fatal accidents were speeding. Also, some 23 percent of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes were intoxicated.

Some 77 percent of speeding drivers involved in fatal accidents were intoxicated. The age of 16 is the highest risk for drivers. In 2000, approximately 48 percent of deaths were passengers and slightly more 16-year-old girls were killed as passengers than as drivers.

The I Promise Program works by giving parents and teens a forum to discuss, negotiate and complete a mutual safe-driving contract. Although traffic related fatalities decreased nationwide between 1999 and 2001 according to information from the National Transportation Safety Administration, the number of young drivers killed in crashes increased 0.5 percent during this period.

The I Promise Program contract, which is furnished through the company for a fee, is a comprehensive agreement developed by youth, parents and community members. The contract provided through the company is flexible and allows parents and teen drivers to add or take away terms of driving within the contract.

Basically, the contract terms, which apply to all drivers, include: I promise to drive sober. I promise to wear my seat belt. I promise to drive defensively. Through the contract, parents agree to provide certain kinds of maintenance and roadside safety supplies in the vehicle.

According to information from the I Promise Program, "In February 2000, Gary Direnfeld, the parent of a soon to be 16-year-old was commuting from Hamilton to Toronto at 5:30 a.m. While following a transport truck he was overtaken by a young driver weaving speedily through traffic. Noticing the 1-800 number on the back of the truck for reporting poor driving, the thought that he would very much like to be able to notify the parents of the speeding young driver.

"It should be noted that Direnfeld is a social worker by profession with years of experience developing and directing brain injury rehabilitation services for young people who acquired their brain injuries in car crashes. Following the commute home Direnfeld spoke with Kiwanian Andy Gaudet and discussed the concept for teen road safety. Gaudet coined the name `I Promise Program' and thus the program was conceived."

The fee for the I Promise Program kit includes parent/youth mutual safe-driving contract, a rear window decal and a 1-year community-monitoring program.

Calls are taken through the a professional call center and reported to parents through first class mail. "Callers are informed that it is a criminal offense to make a false report and that the I Promise Program subscribes to telephone caller identification services," according to the I Promise website.

Although callers are not required to identify themselves, the report to the parents will indicate if call center staff felt the call was valid or false and also, whether the call was a compliment or complaint.

Information about the I Promise Program can be found on the Internet at: www.ipromiseprogram.com or by contacting Direnfeld at I Promise Program, 20 Suter Crescent, Dundas Ontario, Canada, L9H6R5 or by telephone toll free at (866) 879-1999 or (905) 628-4847.

B.K. NECESSARY is a Daily Telegraph features writer. You can contact her at bknecessary@bdtonline.com