A Police – Parent Partnership to Keep Our Teens Safe “Your Parents will be the First to Know” Maine State Police Maine Chiefs of Police Association Maine Sheriffs Association The Problem Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 14 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2003 were teen drivers, and 25% of teen drivers who were killed in crashes had a BAC of 0.08 or higher. Teenagers are three to four times more likely to be involved in a crash than the population at large, with most teen crashes occurring on weekends and at night. Sixty-five percent of all teenage passengers killed in motor vehicle crashes were occupants of vehicles operated by teen drivers. Nationwide, young drivers (16-19 years old) comprise just six percent of the driving population, but are involved in 20 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes. Approximately 36 percent of all deaths for people age 15-20 years old are from motor vehicle crashes. National data also show that 16 and 17-year-old drivers have the highest vehicle crash rate of any age group. In 2004 in Maine, 34 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes resulting in 38 deaths. Eighteen teen drivers and eight of their passengers were killed. Speeding and inexperience are commonly sited as primary factors. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reports that “a growing body of research indicates that close parental management of teen drivers can lead to less risky driving behavior, fewer traffic tickets, and fewer crashes.” “We have learned much about teen driver safety. We have reviewed the science and we know what is proven to work in reducing teen fatalities,” says John Ulczycki, Director – Transportation Safety Group of the National Safety Council. “State laws play an important role, but no matter where one resides, parents play the most important role in managing their children’s early driving experience.” The Law Enforcement Response The Maine law enforcement community, in an unprecedented, coordinated, proactive statewide effort, has developed a community policing program called SAFEGuard to communicate and coordinate with the parents of teens at the earliest stages of potentially high-risk behavior – before injury and death occurs. The concept of police talking to parents about teens is by no means new, but it has been inconsistent and uncoordinated. The power behind SAFEGuard is that it is a statewide initiative involving the entire Maine law enforcement community, endorsed by the Maine State Police, the Maine Sheriffs Association, and the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, with the added endorsement of dozens of government and private organizations. SAFEGuard is a combined Maine law enforcement effort to create a police-parent partnership through better communication for early intervention to prevent teen drivers and teen vehicle occupants from being killed and injured in motor vehicle crashes. It is a philosophy that promotes a special approach when police encounter our youngest, most inexperienced, and vulnerable drivers – generally those under age 18 – during their first years of driving. Depending on the circumstances, parents of older teens may be notified, particularly those still living with their parents or those driving a parent’s vehicle. Our goal is to help safeguard teens by taking an extra few minutes to initiate contact and communicate with parents and guardians when teen drivers and passengers are engaged in unsafe, high-risk behavior, i.e., speeding, failing to use seat belts, aggressive driving, and the use of alcohol and other drugs. To be effective, parents need to be the first to know accurate and timely information so that they can take preventative intervention measures – before a highway tragedy happens. SAFEGuard’s slogan – Your Parents will be the First to Know – is a strong yet caring message to teens that the police and their parents will be working together, keeping each other informed, and sharing information and ideas to head off preventable injury and death. This effort encourages the police officer to make a reasonable attempt to notify the parents of teenagers – sometimes in person, often by telephone. Immediate notification should be made when a teen is at immediate risk (such as when alcohol and other drugs are involved). In situations involving traffic violations and other potentially dangerous situations encountered on while on patrol, police should make a reasonable effort, whenever possible, to communicate with a parent within a reasonable period of time, depending on the circumstances and officer discretion. Police officers should ask themselves this question in deciding whether or not to contact a parent: If I were the parent would I want to know? Typical Examples of When Parents Should Expect a Call: · A new 16-year-old driver is stopped and warned for not making a complete stop at a stop sign. [The officer may call the parents the next day to make them aware that their teen driver was warned for her first traffic infraction. This could be an opportunity for early parental intervention.] · A teen driver with three teen passengers is stopped for a speeding infraction. The driver receives a ticket. [The officer may call the parents of all four teens since all vehicle occupants were in a potentially unsafe situation. Another benefit of calling all of the parents is that further communication among the four sets of parents is likely to occur. · Police respond to a noise complaint at a rural home and discover a large group of teens consuming alcohol. [The officers would notify the parents of all minors present and make provisions that parents come to the scene to pick up their teens. NOTE: This course of action was recommended in a 2004 report on Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws by the Maine Youth Empowerment and Policy Project.] Parental Management of Teen Driving The police often observe teens in ways parents do not. A police officer is in a position to detect potentially unsafe behaviors at an early and manageable stage when intervention is possible – before crashes happen. Providing parents with timely information about law enforcement contacts with teen drivers affords them the opportunity to set expectations and limitations with their teens and increase parental monitoring and supervision, greatly reducing the likelihood of risky driving behavior that can lead to crashes. Early intervention is key. When a teen’s unsafe driving first comes to the attention of police – even when warned for a minor traffic infraction – that could be an early indication of problems to come. It is also a golden opportunity. A call to the parent at that stage may prevent a future knock on the door from a police officer that is every parent’s nightmare. According to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), high school and middle school students overwhelmingly say that their parents are or will be the biggest influence on their driving behaviors. Though parents are in a prime position to influence their teens’ driving behavior (as role models and with parental authority), many parents are not as involved or as aware as they could be. Research reported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development suggests that: “(1) teen driving risk is related to parenting, especially parental monitoring and restrictions on driving; and (2) many newly licensed teens report few driving restrictions, especially under the most dangerous conditions, such as at night and with teen passengers.” Sadly, parents are too often the last to know. Recent studies cited by the National Institute “found that for the majority of incidents, parents were not aware that their teens drove under the influence, rode with other drinking drivers, were distracted by friends/passengers while driving, did not wear seat belts, drove aggressively, or ran stop signs/traffic lights.” Parents need to be the first to know. When parents don’t limit when, where, and how frequently their teens can drive, teens’ traffic violations and crashes increase. Fatal crash investigations frequently reveal a chain of events that led up to a crash; if just one link in that chain were broken the crash might not have occurred. Friends and family of the dead teen often agonize over what they could have or should have known, done, or said to alter the course of events. A brief, non-judgmental, courteous telephone call from police to parent (“As a parent, I thought you’d like to know…”) may serve as an early warning that helps both police and parents intervene to prevent a needless and preventable highway tragedy. The Community Every facet of the community has a role and responsibility in promoting safe teen driving. Maine’s law enforcement community is committed to going above and beyond when it comes to protecting teenagers at risk on Maine’s highways – and we need your help. SAFEGuard is Community Policing. SAFEGuard is not a program, but rather a philosophy that demonstrates compassion and concern for the safety of young people – those truly at greatest risk for injury or death on our roadways. SAFEGuard is the police joining with parents as active partners in the community’s efforts to keep Maine’s teens safe – because vigilant enforcement, parental and community involvement, and police-parent-teen communication is the best Teen Crash Prevention.
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