Paula Carlson – May 15, 2002
Parents:
Do you know how your kids drive?
A social worker, former rehab worker with the brain-injured, and father says moms and dads must take more responsibility.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to monitor your kids after they pulled out of
the driveway? An
The “I Promise Program,” launched January of this year by
The idea is simple. First, parents and youth agree upon a safe-driving
contract, which includes promising to always wear a seatbelt, not speed and
drive sober. Then, to seal the deal, a decal with the toll-free number is
placed in the rear-window of the family car, enabling members of the public to
report on driver behaviour.
Both parents and children are subject to the safe-driving standards. Calls are
taken by a professional call centre, and reports are mailed to members. Cost of
the program (contract, decal and one-year of monitoring service) is $49 for the
first year, and $24 for subsequent years.
“It works because it brings parents into the picture as role models,” said
Direnfeld. “At the very least, it gets families talking about safe driving.”
The social worker came up with the concept a few years ago when on the way to work, he was overtaken by a young driver weaving dangerously
through traffic. Noticing the 1-800 number on the truck in front of him (“How’s
my driving?”), Direnfeld thought he would like to be able to notify the parents
of the young driver.
“I’ve worked with the brain-injured,” Direnfeld said, “and I know the result of
teen car crashes.”
Trucking companies have long relied on call-in initiatives to monitor their
drivers, and a
After
two years of development and research, the I Promise Program is now available
across
* For more information, visit www.ipromiseprogram.com or call
at 905-628-4847.