I Promise
Teen driver car crashes remain the leading cause of permanent injury and death in teens across America. In fact, Texas teen car crashes accounted for 76% of all deaths caused by unintentional injuries in 1999. Driscoll Children’s Hospital is the first and only in Coastal Bend to announce the collaboration of the “I Promise” program, a national safe driving initiative developed for families with new, young drivers. The program is aimed at reducing the risk of being involved in an accident while creating life-long positive driving habits as the first year tends to be the most dangerous for new drivers. Participation by parents indicates their willingness to be a role model of good driving behavior, and participation by new young drivers indicates their willingness to accept the responsibilities of being a safe motor vehicle driver.
Together, parents and their children discuss, negotiate, and complete a mutual safe-driving contract. This comprehensive agreement was developed by youth, parents, and community members and includes:
I promise to drive sober.
I promise to wear my seatbelt.
I promise to drive defensively.
I promise to keep my mind on the road.
Then, to seal the contract, a decal with a toll-free number is placed in the rear-window of the car. This enables community members to monitor and report on the driver’s behavior similar to the “How is my driving?” decal on the back of trucks. Both parents and youth are equally likely to have calls made depending on how they drive. Calls are taken by a professional call-center. Research reports a 22% decrease in the number of motor-vehicle crashes with these initiatives.
Reports are mailed to via first-class mail. Callers will not be required to disclose their personal information, but will nonetheless be asked for their name and phone number and are informed that it is a criminal offence to make a false report. These and other measures help assure the legitimacy of the call and protect the program’s participant. Upon receipt of a report, parents and youth together should examine the date and time specified on the report to determine who the driver was, and then follow through as set out in the parent-youth mutual safe-driving contract.
The content of the reports remains confidential, not being made available to police or insurance companies, except where required by law. Statistical information, without names, will be gathered for research purposes and provided to third parties for such purposes.
Cost of the program is $49 per year and includes the “I Promise” kit including the Parent-Youth Mutual Safe-Driving Contract, rear-window decal, and one-year community monitoring service. Families registering with more than one vehicle will be sent an additional rear-window decal.
Contact Information
Injury Prevention Program
(361) 694-6700 or call toll free (866) 886-5957
Fax (361) 851-6880 or email us at kyks@driscollchildrens.org.
For more information about the program, please visit www.ipromiseprogram.com
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Corpus Christi, Texas
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