New program helps parents keep tabs on teenage drivers

“How many of us were pulled over and never told our parents about it even though it was something we should have told them?” asked Sheriff Kip Thomas. “Fortunately for parents today, there is a program that will allow them to know what is going on with their teen driver.”

Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers, also known as S.T.O.P.P.E.D., is a program designed for that purpose.

Over 3,000 drivers between the ages of 16 and 21 die in the United States each year as a result of car crashes. The S.T.O.P.P.E.D. program is a parental notification system developed by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in New York to try and deter young drivers from making decisions that could affect them for the rest of their lives, Thomas said.

Parents can voluntarily register with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office any motor vehicle that will be operated by a driver under the age of 21. A decal is issued and affixed to the windshield or back window of that vehicle. The decal is numbered and is for that vehicle only. If for any reason the registered vehicle, when operated by a driver under the age of 21, is stopped by a Madison County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, the deputy will complete a notification card on the traffic stop.

The notification card will contain the following information: time and location of the stop, driver’s name and the number of passengers, reason for the stop, and whether any traffic citations were issued. Notifications will be mailed directly to the parents to make them aware of any potential problems and enable them to enforce any parental rules that often coexist with teenage driving privileges.

“This program will hopefully help our young drivers make informed decisions about their driving,” said Thomas. “It is another tool for parents to help keep their children safe and make them think before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.”

Parents who would like to register a vehicle can stop by or contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at 706-795-6202 or by email at sheriff@madisonco.us.