The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has relaunched a program under which parents can learn how their teenage children are performing behind the wheel.
The S.T.O.P.P.E.D. program (Sheriff’s Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers) was developed by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in New York state, and is targeted to drivers under age 18. Authorities said more than 3,000 such young motorists die in traffic crashes annually across the U.S.
Here’s how the voluntary notification program works: parents register any vehicle their teen will operate with the sheriff’s office. An ID decal is issued and affixed to the car. If a registered teen is pulled over, the deputy fills out a notification card with such information as when and where the stop occurred, the drivers’ name and number of passengers, why the vehicle was targeted and whether a traffic citation was issued.
The card is then dropped in the mail to the parents.
Sheriff’s spokesman Robin Regan said the program has first offered 10 years ago but was relaunched this week.
For more information: stopped program@forsythco.com.
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