Sheriff's Office launches young driver tracking system
From PenfieldPost.com
Quote:
Rochester, N.Y. —
Parents in Monroe County will now be able to track their child's driving behavior with a new system launched today by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
It's called the S.T.O.P.P.E.D. program, which stands for "Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers." The program, which is voluntary, allows parents to register a vehicle with the Sheriff's office for any driver under 21 years of age. Once the vehicle is registered, an identification sticker is put on the windshield of the vehicle, and, if the vehicle is stopped, the deputy will complete a notification card detailing the time and location of the stop, whether any tickets were issued, the driver's name and number of passengers, and reason for the stop. This information is then emailed or mailed directly to the parents.
"It's an exciting program. We hope to be able to save lives with this," said Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn at a press conference Friday.
The program is modeled after a parental notification program that was originally developed by the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office in Syracuse. O'Flynn said the program has been a success in Syracuse, but could not give specifics on how many parents signed up for the program.
O'Flynn said the new system comes on the heels of an increase in accidents with drivers in the age range of 16-21 in Monroe County. Annually, O'Flynn said 3,000 drivers in this age group die in the United States as a result of car crashes.
The program will not utilize extra staffing, said O'Flynn.
Parents can register for the STOPPED program by calling 753-4762.
