I Promise attempts to drive away the horror
In the small, still
hours of New Year's Day, a Waterdown family received
the call that is the stuff of every parent's nightmare.
Andrew "A.J."
Crawford, 16, had been killed in a car crash, not far
from his Parkside Dr. home.
Police don't
know who was driving the vehicle or if either occupant had been wearing a seat
belt.
The tragedy is a very
personal one. But it is also a scenario that is
repeated as often as 8,000 times a year in
And it is exactly what
He is the founder of the
I Promise Program, a driving contract between parents and teens aimed at
helping youths escape their early driving years unscathed.
The program launched
about one year ago and has since spread across three provinces and eight
states.
It took two years of
research to develop and now has received scads of ink from media outlets hoping
to avoid printing another tale of young lives lost or destroyed through the
careless use of an automobile.
Direnfeld came up with
the idea as his own teenage son approached his driving days.
As a social worker by
professions who has worked extensively with brain-injured male adolescents, he
knew first-hand the often horrifying results of
teenage missteps behind the wheel.
"All parents are
white-knuckled at the idea of their teen getting driving," he said.
His research has shown
that teen-driven car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for young people.
Aside from the thousands
killed each year from a fatal lack of driving experience, another 400,000 are
seriously injured, he said.
In Waterdown's
most recent tragedy, police say alcohol may have been a factor. But that frequently isn't the case, argued Direnfeld.
"Alcohol is not the
leading cause of crashes in young teens," he maintained. "Speeding
and seat belts are."
His program offers a
six-page contract for parents and teens to sign that stipulates that driving is
a privilege that can be taken away by parents at any
time.
Rewards are established for good behaviour, such as a year of
incident-free driving. Punishments are also set in advance for poor judgment,
crashes or speeding tickets.
Parents and teens agree
on how many passengers are allowed in the vehicle at
one time and forbid the use of cell phones while driving. Teens also must
promise to keep the internal noise from music or passengers low enough to hear
the hum or din of traffic outside.
And teens are forbidden to eat or
smoke while driving and to stay away from the car when ill or emotionally
upset.
But the parents don't get off scott-free. They sign on in the contract as role models and
their teen is encouraged to watch them with an eagle eye to ensure they are
also obeying the rules of the road.
Those who sign on to the
program are sent a rear-window decal with a toll-free
number for people to report on how the vehicle is being driven.
"You're
bound to be more responsible with that," said Direnfeld.
To come up with the
contract, Direnfeld spent two years digging up information with the help of
medical professionals, police officers and more.
"It looks so simple
and straightforward, but there's a reason for everything," he said.
So far, the Dominion of
Canada General Insurance Company will offer discounted rates to those signed on
to I Promise and Direnfeld is hoping more will soon follow suit.
Oddly enough, few people
in the Flamborough,
"This is our weakest
area so far," said Direnfeld. "And it's the area we have blitzed the
most. Sometimes you have to go away to be popular in your own backyard."
But about 90 agencies in
"It's the little
engine that could," said Direnfeld of the program. "We didn't intend
to market it to parents - the goal was to get insurers on board. We have more
than exceeded our expectations."
Ironically, one of the
biggest hurdles to overcome is parents who are often unwilling to force the
point with their teens. His son, who initially balked at the idea, is typical.
"Like all teenagers,
they want nothing to do with it," he said. "But teenagers say 'I
don't like that' and parents back down."
That, he feels, is wrong,
and for the unfortunate few, it could be dead wrong. The reason is teens simply
don't have the wealth of experience behind them to
tackle all driving situations properly.
"Parents say they
have a good teen, a responsible teen," he said, then cites the 8,000
deaths per year from car crashes. "I bet if you asked the parents of all
those teens, they'd say they had a good, responsible teen. But parents have to
realize that even the best of teens don't recognize the danger."
For more information, log
on to www.ipromiseprogram.com
Contact:
Gary Direnfeld, MSW, Executive Director
I Promise Program Inc.
20
(905) 628-4847
gary123@sympatico.ca
www.ipromiseprogram.com