Policy alerts parents to violations

More than five cited since program’s start

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005

Click here to enlarge this photo Bill Ryan⁄The Gazette Luke Shaffer gives Jim Doss and other friends a ride home from Century High School on Tuesday. Teen drivers are now the subject of a new policy within the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office that notifies parents if they receive a traffic citation.

With the stress of the exam and a new Carroll County program in which sheriff’s deputies will notify his parents if they give him a traffic ticket, the 16-year-old knows he needs to be on his best behavior.

‘‘I think it’s a good idea, and lets parents know what’s going on,” he said. ‘‘It will keep me more vigilant.”

Waesche’s mother, Susan, agreed. ‘‘I want to know as much as I can,” she said her son’s driving.

And a new program will help.

On Nov. 1, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office began mailing notices to parents of teen drivers who receive traffic tickets. The letters inform parents of the time, date and violation. The policy mirrors one created by the Maryland State Police that is used across the state and was enacted by the Sheriff’s Office in an effort to alert parents about their teen’s inappropriate driving behavior.

‘‘A lot of driving habits are formed as a youth,” said Maj. Thomas Long, of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, who headed the department’s adoption of the policy. ‘‘We want to make sure that everyone is driving safely.”

The letters target 16- and 17-year-old drivers who are not legally adults. Long acknowledged the age group represents a small percentage of drivers; however, he said his department feels it is important to stop dangerous driving behavior through parental support.

Since enacted on Nov. 1, Long said the Sheriff’s Office recorded five violations that resulted in letters being sent home to parents.

Violations range from speeding to squealing wheels and causing excessive noise. One incident reported involved a 16-year-old traveling at 82 mph in a 50-mph zone on Md. Route 27 in Mount Airy. The most recent violation involved improper passing by a 16-year-old on Middleburg Road in Uniontown.

Long said all of the violations occurred during nighttime hours when responsible drivers are more vigilant.

‘‘Nighttime driving requires a certain expertise,” Long said, adding that even veteran drivers understand that nightfall can make driving more challenging and they should use more caution. ‘‘We have these young, inexperienced drivers on the road doing these risky things when they should be learning how to drive at night.”

Long said his office has not received feedback from parents who have received the letters or the general population.

‘‘We feel this is because the letter addresses the important points to the parent,” Long said, explaining that the details of the violation are in the letter. ‘‘We thought we might have parents call asking about their child’s attitude, but we haven’t had anything like that yet.”

Before the program, parents of teen drivers were not alerted to violations unless their insurance company sent a letter. According to Long, insurance company policies differ on sending notification — some send letters for every offense, while others notify parents only when rates will rise, sometimes after two or three violations.

The former system could keep parents unaware of potentially hazardous driving practices, Long said.

Also, he said some fines are more than $530 — money he said some teens have access to and can pay without the knowledge of their parents.

Susan Waesche said the policy is a great idea that will help her stay informed about her son’s driving habits.

‘‘I would hope that my child would be honest enough to come and tell me if [he or she] got a ticket, but I guess that doesn’t always happen,” she said, adding that her older daughter received a ticket days after getting her driver’s license and told her.

Waesche said she would not be inclined to call the Sheriff’s Office to ask about the citation. ‘‘I guess that I expect that if [Stuart] was anything other than polite, it would have been noted on the slip,” since there is space for officers to note behavior on citations.