Too Many of Our Youth die in Auto Accidents

Greg Owen

Attorney

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Too many avoidable, tragic accidents occur each year involving the youngest of our drivers. Due to that fact, La Porte County Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer has launched a program called STOPPED, which is nationwide. The parents who participate in the program are given a sticker to put on the vehicle driven by their child - up to the age of 21. If that vehicle is pulled over by the police, their parents will be notified.

While addressing the driving issue, Sheriff Mollenhauer referenced sloppy driving. He said " Sloppy" is a term of our own, and it can mean many things, certainly not limited to young drivers: driving under the influence; inattentive driving due to others in the vehicle or a cell phone or a radio or a CD or MP3 player; driving while particularly fatigued; driving too fast; or a combination thereof."

With that said, teenagers have the highest death rate among drivers. This is not the only tool that parents have at their disposal; GPS have been widely used for some time now. However, knowing where you child is in their vehicle won't tell you if they have been pulled over. There is no questions that this will not be music to the ears of the average adolescent, nevertheless it is for the good of all who share the road. When you think about the fact that one of the last areas of the brain to develop is the ability to accurately predict the consequences of your actions, it is easy to see why the youngest drivers are most at risk for being in an automobile accident. So, until they can get some experience under the belts, any tools that helps keep them safe is a welcome one.