HELP FOR TEENAGE DRIVERS

I Promise Program

The I Promise Program is a contract between a teen-age driver and his or her parents.

Developed by Gary Direnfeld, a social worker in Canada, the contract makes each party accountable for their driving and allows each family to make its own rules.

“A lot of programs pointed the finger at the teen … there was nothing there that talked about the parents of the teen being a good role model”, Direnfeld said.

The Program gives family a decal to place on the car with a private telephone number that other drivers can call with praise or complaints. The idea is that the decal is on a car used by the teen and the parents, therefore holding every driver responsible for his or her driving at all times, not just the teen-ager.

The program comes in the form of a kit and costs $49.00. The kit includes a parent-teen contract packet, the decal and one year of the vehicle monitoring service.

Brennan Direnfeld, Gary Direnfeld’s son, has been driving since June and is the main reason the I Promise Program came about.

“You drive cautiously, a lot more so than if it wasn’t there,” said the 17-year-old.

For more information visit www.ipromiseprogram.com