According to a recent press release from Text Them In, Inc., it seems many insurance companies are attempting to raise the legal driving age from 16 to 17, citing statistics from 2006 which reveal that 3,490 drivers between the ages of 15-20 died in car accidents, while high school teens between the ages of 15 and 17 were involved in 974,000 automobile accidents nationwide, with 406,427 of those involving injury.  Of these, the cost is over 35 billion.

The trend to discourage poor driving habits by teens and young adults has been to display a bumper sticker, similar to those How’s My Driving? stickers we often see on fleet and semi-trucks.  Text Them In cites statistics which show that these bumper stickers encourage drivers to drive more safely and act much more responsibly since drivers feel as though they are being watched more carefully by their fellow motorists. Reportedly, the process of being able to report bad driving practices via this method has resulted in a 22% reduction in vehicle crashes and 52% in accident related costs after one year.

Currently, Text Them In, Inc. has decided to go one step further by using the same procedure to inform parents and guardians of their teens’ dangerous or aggressive driving behavior.  By placing a bumper sticker on the teens’ vehicle, fellow motorists who spy dangerous, aggressive or unsafe driving practices can report their findings by sending a text message to 839846 (TEXTIN) and also providing the license plate number, any vehicle information and a description of what and where it happened.  In return, the parents or guardians receive an immediate notification via their cell phone or email which alerts them to the incident.

Personally, I don’t know what I think of this idea.  While I can certainly see a need for better driving practices and behaviors, the text messaging concept leaves me cold, especially when many states have passed laws which strictly prohibit text messaging while driving and others have legislation pending; all with good reason since many vehicle accidents have been attributed to text messaging while driving. 

According to Text Them In, while they state that the company does not condone text messaging while driving and considers this irresponsible driving that should be reported, they also believe that “text messaging is the only way to immediately notify parents if their teens are observed driving aggressively. All other call-in “How’s My Driving?” programs take hours or days for the owner to be notified.

I did a quick search for 1-800-How’s My Driving and found that motorists simply call the 800 number to report any dangerous driving practices. 1-800-How’s My Driving state on their website that the reports are then transmitted automatically by email or fax to the designated managers and supervisors at the company, who then take it from there by notifying the drivers and taking proper action with the option of contacting callers to get any further information if they wish.  I realize that we live in times of immediate gratification and instant notification; however I don’t see how text messaging is any faster than calling a phone number.  Why can’t a simple phone call to Text Them In suffice, as opposed to texting? At any rate, whether it’s texting or calling, pulling over to do it is the safest way to go – especially if there’s additional information to key in, such as a license plate number, vehicle identification, etc.

Those interested can sign up with Text Them In by visiting their website at    http://www.howsmydrivingforteens.com.  The annual cost is $48.00 to register one vehicle, $84.00 to register two and $108.00 for three vehicles.  They also offer a financial incentive for schools and organizations; when parents enroll their vehicles with Text Them In, Inc., through their school or youth organization, 50% of the annual enrollment fee of $48.00 will be donated back to the school or
organization.

I’m interested in what our readers think of programs such as this.  Share your opinions by leaving a comment.

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