Worth Sharing

New Safe Driving Program Hits Objectives

"Perfect driving." That's the first and only report on driver behavior received in the first year of operation of a new teen safe driving program available throughout North America. "It fits with our goal to prevent 'em, not catch 'em," says Gary Direnfeld, founder and director of the I Promise Program.

The I Promise Program was launched in January 2002 to reduce the risk of teen driver car crashes. It requires parents and teens to sign a mutual-safe driving contract and then affix a rear window decal that displays a toll-free telephone number inviting calls on driver behavior. Any calls that are received results in a letter sent to the parents so they can address the information privately within their family.

To help encourage participation in the initiative, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company offers a discount to teens who use the program in Ontario, Canada. Several U.S.-based companies are also involved in promoting the program. In addition, more than 90 health organizations, law enforcement agencies, insurance agents, and brokers from throughout North America have requested information about I Promise for distribution within their respective communities.

To appreciate the risk of a teenager's involvement in a car crash consider this, says Direnfeld, "Load the chamber of a 6-shot revolver with one bullet. Stand across the room and point it at your teenaged son or daughter. Now imagine the chamber only holds four shots and one chamber remains loaded and you point it again. That gives you a 25% chance of firing the bullet in the direction of your child. If the bullet hits the wall, this is property damage but if you hit your child they will be injured, maimed, or killed. Care to pull the trigger?"

This is in effect what parents do when handing their new teen drivers the keys to the family car. Twenty-five percent of teen drivers will be involved in a car crash within their first year of driving. While driving is considered a rite of passage in today's society, property damage, injury, life-long disability, and death are not usually figured into the equation. Sadly though, more than 6,000 teens die and an additional 400,000 are injured each year in teen driver car crashes making this the greatest risk to the well-being of youth. In fact it takes the next four leading causes of death in teens (suicide, homicide, heart disease, and cancer) combined just to equal teen driver car crashes.

Similar driving contract programs in the trucking industry show a 22% reduction in crashes. Even more important, parents who use safe driving contracts are shown to place more restrictions and greater expectations on their teen drivers.

Direnfeld and a long list of other organizations are encouraging parents to participate in the I Promise Program now. He admits that teens may whine about the program but adds, "Parents will be happier with a whining teen if it leads to a reduced risk of a car crash." He adds, "Place restrictions and expectations on their driving and have them earn driving privileges. Although they won't say so now, they'll likely get their kids to participate when they become parents of teenagers too."

For more information, access the I Promise Program web site at www.ipromiseprogram.com.