More Active Posts
Front Page
Sticker sentence
 |
 21 Comments |
A Texas judge is employing an unusual tactic in hopes of cracking down on unsafe teen driving. Teens who land in Judge Kevin Madison’s courtroom for a traffic violation can opt for the probation route and get the ticket dismissed–but only if they agree to post a bumper sticker on their cars that reads “Report Unsafe Driving” and includes a phone number for witnesses to call. Each bumper sticker has a 4-digit pin number identifying the vehicle, and if a violation is reported, an email is sent to the judge and the teen’s parents.
While some critics are calling the program embarrassing, Madison says he believes the program will make teens safer drivers, ”and that should help keep teens out of court and out of trouble.” What do you think about the program–will it work?
 |
Topic: WorldMagBlog |  |
Email a friend |
 |
Keywords: |  |
RSS 2.0 |
 |
Both comments and pings are currently closed. |  |
Share this: |
Politics of fraud
If this could save a kid’s life who cares if he’s embarrassed.
GREAT IDEA!!!
Mom of four
It’s an option…I think it’s a great idea.
Better embarrassed than seriously injured or dead.
Who could disagree with this?
NJL, we haven’t heard from the ACLU yet.
As long as it’s legal to make a cell phone call while driving, it’ll work.
I second VS: Better embarrassed than dead.
He might kill my kid instead of himself. I don’t care if he’s embarrassed. He ought to be.
I was using the he generically. No offense intended to the ladies here.
I’m for it.
A great opportunity for pranksters to harass the kid.
Kwerna,
And that could help make it effective!
If embarrassment is that bad it looks like it can be avoided by paying the fine. Sounds like a good idea.
I had the same thought as Kwerna. Other kids will see it as an opportunity to get the kid in trouble. And what if they do get reported? Do they then have to pay the ticket? I wouldn’t want my kid’s punishment to be left in the hands of his peers. Kids are mean to each other!
My granddaughter’s first boyfriend was killed in a rollover accident when he fell asleep at the wheel during a long drive that was supposed to go from coast to coast [no alcohol or drugs were involved]. He was barely 17. While his death made more careful drivers out of both of my grandchildren and many of their friends, it was a terrible loss for all who knew him.
I mention this only because even some less obvious driving errors can cost a family a child. At 17, he should not have been driving so far, young people’s brains are not developed well enough to make them aware of dangers like being hypnotized by the road.
So I say they should not get the option of paying the fine, they should have to be embarrassed by the bumper sticker if they mess up. Fines are easily forgotten once paid. Hopefully, kids will begin to think in terms of avoiding that embarrassment and drive more carefully to begin with.
Quite a few of the kids I deal with would not find this embarassing, they would consider it a badge of honor.
Mumsee, good point. It could still be effective, however. Some kids might not be embarrassed, but they would consider it a nuisance and an infringement on their freedom.
What happens when the teen drives a different car?
I saw a news item about putting cameras in the car that record whatever the driver is doing. That might be more effective than a bumper sticker.
Peter L: I saw that item too, it was shocking. The kids believed they never took their eyes off the road, but the tape showed them texting, talking on the phone, and turning around to joke with passengers who were in the back seat. It also showed them driving off the surface of the road and swerving to get back on. So many kids just don’t understand how dangerous driving a car can be [of course, the same can be said of many people who are supposed to be adults].
#10 by Kwerna “A great opportunity for pranksters to harass the kid.”
I had the same thought. There are so many bullies in schools, therefore there would be too many false tips called in.
As a Dad of a teenager, I can attest that nothing is worse for them than embarrassment of any kind. My daughter believes me to be a flea bitten, woolly beast of suspect character that she is embarrassed for her friends to see much less meet - especially her boyfriends. Her having to be picked up by the boys at home (as an unbreakable rule) so they can meet the Horrible Daddy Llama - just kills her while oddly keeping her safely unharmed at the same time. Who would have guessed?
This judge must have minored in teen psychology.
Two thumbs up. Paying a few bucks for a ticket is nothing to any teenager.
I can see the bulling and false reports.
How about a sandwich sign in front of the movie theater saturday afternoon for 4 hours. “Watch out for me I don’t drive safe!”
Would only have to wear it ONCE!