A pilot traffic safety program – DriveCam – is now available for Southern Maryland families to provide watchful eyes over new drivers.
A grant through the Maryland State Highway Administration is providing 300 families with the monitoring devices; registered families must attend one of three community meetings scheduled for next week and
interested families should attend one for more information. Families may register for the remaining slots after the meetings.
The meetings will be Friday, July 11, at the College of Southern Maryland Leonardtown Campus at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium; Wednesday, July 9, at Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf at 7:00 p.m.; and Thursday, July 10, at the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department in Calvert County at 7:00 p.m.
The parent/teen presentations are free, but registration is recommended. For registrations or information call (301) 475-4200, x1850 in St. Mary’s County, (301) 932-3056 in Charles County and (410) 535-2200
in Calvert County.
The DriveCam program is based on innovative technology that has enhanced the safety of business and corporate fleets around the world. This pilot study will evaluate how effective the program is as an
educational tool for parents and newly licensed teens to transition young drivers into fully independent, safe and competent drivers.
The DriveCam for Families program uses innovative technology and parent feedback to help teens become safer, more confident drivers. An in car monitoring system takes brief video clips about 10 or 20 seconds in length to capture exception based “events” such as sudden braking, swerving,
acceleration or a collision. The short video clip includes interior and exterior views of the critical seconds before and after the erratic vehicle movement so parents and the teen driver learn what happened and why. Parents can access the password protected “event” video clip a day or two later. The clip will also have DriveCam’s scoring and analysis listed, with additional professional coaching tips and comments attached.
Typically, less than 1 percent of a teen’s driving is recorded by DriveCam. As the number of recorded events decrease, their privacy increases. If an event occurs, a participating teen driver will know,
as a light flashes on the camera unit. This awareness allows the teen the opportunity to discuss what occurred with their parents, one on one before the video clip is made available online by DriveCam. When parents access the video clip it documents what led to the driving incident, as well as response to the incident, so a parent will be able to fully review the incident, and determine if their teen needs to
improve skills or modify behavior. If a teen driver or passenger is seen unbelted while the vehicle is in motion and an event is captured, parents will be notified by DriveCam.
“We want to evaluate this technology for its effectiveness in readying and improving the driving of our youngest, and most vulnerable, drivers,” stated Neil J. Pedersen, Administrator of the Maryland State
Highway Administration and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.
“Creating safe young drivers is a key part of the overall strategic highway safety plan, and we expect that the 300 families volunteering for the program will provide us with good data and the additional
research needed to expand young driver education programs. Our goal is to learn whether parental usage of this technology can prevent future tragedies and build stronger, more experienced, confident young drivers.”
“Typically, teen crashes occur because of a moment or two of inattention, inexperience in handling a specific situation, or perhaps a poor decision. We want parents to know if their teen