Teen Driver Safety Protection Program

July 16, 2008 - PRLog -- Contact:  Deborah Smith, President
                 Anne London, Vice President
Phone:    1 877 STEER20 or 1 781 235 5040
Email:      info@steerstraight.com
Web:       http://steerstraight.com

Keeping Teens Safe Behind the Wheel:  Two Mothers, One Mission

Steer Straight Teen Driver Protection Program Launches

BOSTON, Massachusetts - Parents of teen-agers and soon-to-be teens cringe at the thought of the inevitable...their teen, or their teen's friends behind the wheel of the car.  Alarmed by the troubling teen driving statistics and concerned about limited teen driver education and experience behind the wheel two Boston area Mothers have created Steer Straight, a program designed to help turn good teens into great drivers.

Teen driving is a serious issue and the facts are sobering:

One in three teens crashes in the first year of driving.
Car accidents are the number one killer of 16 to 19 year olds.
Summertime is the deadliest time of year for teen drivers.

"When my son took the keys and began driving, it was one of the most nerve-racking experiences I've had as a parent.  And, it wasn't long before my son totaled the car," said Deb Smith of Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Believing more could be done to encourage awareness around teen driving safety, Smith contacted friend and former colleague from FOX Television, Anne London, a Wellesley, Massachusetts resident and together they created Steer Straight.  Their solution was to borrow a “How’s My Driving?” sticker concept proven to be enormously successful in promoting safety in the commercial trucking industry.  "It's all about accountability.  When teens know people are watching over them, they behave and drive more responsibly.  It’s that simple,” says London.  

How It Works
Smith and London conceived of a membership network that would provide families with cool, reflective bumper stickers to place on a teen's car.  It asks the critical question:  "How's My TEEN Driving?" and includes a toll free number and an individual ID number.  This sticker encourages motorists to call into the Steer Straight live answered call center, available 24/7, to report the teen's driving- dangerous or responsible.  All phone-ins result in an incident report, which is emailed to the member families within fifteen minutes of the motorists call.





“Putting a Steer Straight bumper sticker on a teen’s car drives them to think before getting behind the wheel.  And it provides parents with at least some peace-of-mind.” explains London.  “Insurance Companies’ studies show over a 30% reduction in accidents with a "How's My Driving" sticker on the vehicle.”

Online Driver Training – Steer Straight “Teen Test Drives”
The Steer Straight program also features an interactive online training program, called
“Teen Test Drives”, and is available to teens and parents 24/7.  These modules offer teens the opportunity to further develop and reinforce safe, confident driving practices.  All incident reports emailed to the parent include a link to http://steerstraight.com with recommended educational driving tutorials and tests for teens.  Topics include National Safety Council Collision-Prevention Tips, speeding, tailgating, impaired driving, plus more and are available in both English and Spanish.


A Three-way Partnership
"This is a true partnership between the family, the teen driver and Steer Straight.  Many of the teens we have spoken to about this think it's a great idea and will help them deal with the pressures of driving with their friends.  Our mission is to make driving safer for teens and saner for parents,” says Smith.

A Steer Straight family membership costs $99 per year.  For more information on the Steer Straight network or memberships, call (877) STEER20 ---  (781) 235- 5040, email us at info@steerstraight.com or visit http://steerstraight.com.

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Teen Driver Protection Program-Curb teen accidents and fatalities with a How's My Teen Driving 877 STEER17 bumper sticker. Independent Insurance studies show stickers reduced accidents by over 30%- Drive teens to THINK before getting behind the wheel.