Lawrence resident Ed Alsop doesn't have to worry about his 18-year-old son, Ted, taking chances on the road.
"We're blessed with a responsible child," he said. "He knows enough not to go out and be foolish."
Not all parents of teen-age drivers can count themselves so lucky. And even level-headed youngsters can slip up because of inexperience.
"Overall, probably a teen is three times as likely to be involved in a crash due to inexperience, lack of driving skills, lack of time behind the wheel as compared to an adult," said Patrice Pomeroy, assistant chief of the Kansas Department of Transportation's Traffic Safety Bureau.
That combined with some young people's perception that they're invincible makes teen drivers good candidates for driver safety programs like the I Promise Program, an initiative to reduce teen-related car crashes that will launch officially on Jan. 21 in the United States and Canada.
The program includes a parent-teen mutual safe-driving contract and a rear-window decal displaying a 1-800 number to allow community reports of driving behavior.
Information called in isn't reported to law enforcement. Rather, it's mailed to families so they can refer to the contract and determine consequences.
The program contains elements of some of KDOT's safety programs, Pomeroy said.
"What you're doing is actually getting to the origin of the problem," she said. "You're actually dealing with the teen and with the parent that has direct control over their behavior to change their behavior. That's more of a social approach, rather than involving law enforcement."
KDOT's Trikes to Tires program also involves a parent-teen contract, but it's a promise that the child won't drink and drive, Pomeroy said. If a child does drink, however, parents agree that their teen can call home and ask for a ride.
In 2000, drivers age 16 to 20 had the highest fatality and injury rates per 100,000 population nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The prime time for teen-related crashes is during the after-school commute, Pomeroy said.
"Typically, what we believe is it's teens just as they get out of school and before their parents get home," she said. "They kind of have that window of opportunity to drive around."
Parents interested in the I Promise Program can download a mail-in registration form from the program Web site, www.ipromiseprogram.com. The cost for one year is $49. For information about KDOT safety programs, call (785) 296-3585.
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