Hotline for Reporting Teen Drivers Available for Parents

According to the National Safety Council, traffic crashes are among the leading cause of death among teenagers. Thus, the prospect of parents beginning to allow their teen to drive can be daunting.

An organization called Teen Driving Hotline has come up with a simple program to help put parents' minds at ease. By enrolling in their program parents receive bumper stickers to affix to their teen driver's automobile. The bumper sticker is similar to those seen on the back of 18-wheeled trucks, reading 'how is my driving' with a hotline number below provided to other drivers.

Drivers and pedestrians observing careless or erratic teen driving then call the hotline number. When they reach the automated system, they will leave the teen's license plate number, description of the car, and the nature of the offense they observed. They are encouraged to leave their name and callback number, but are not required to. Within 24 hours, an email report of the incident is sent to the parents.

This system works on the theory that teens will be more cautious if they know they are being monitored. Car chips are currently available that track teens' movements including time and date for each trip, distance and speed traveled, as well as hard braking and accelerations. However, these systems can cost more than $350, so are often too expensive for most parents.

Parents and guardians of teen drivers can purchase a one-year subscription (covering two vehicles) costing $34.95. Discounts are offered for multiple-year subscriptions. Therefore, Teen Driving Hotline offers a less expensive alternative for monitoring teen drivers.

Teen driver safety is becoming an increasingly important issue. A survey conducted by the Allstate Foundation of 1,000 teen drivers aged 15 to 17 found that more than half of them use cell phones while driving, and speed up to keep up with traffic and to go through yellow lights. Nearly half of the respondents admit to having passengers distract them.