STOPPED

The STOPPED Program (Sheriff's Telling Our Parents & Promoting Educated Drivers) is a program originally started by the Onondago County Sheriff's Office in Syracuse New York. The STOPPED program is a completely voluntary parental notification program. It allows parents to be notified of potential driving problems. Parents are able to register the vehicle that their teen drives with law enforcement. After the registration is completed, parents receive a sticker that is to be placed on the vehicle's windshield. Parents then will receive notification if the vehicle is stopped and someone under 21 is driving. The program reinforces parental supervision and provides the parents with a tool to correct the problem.

In Ohio (2004), there were 1,162 fatal crashes, 94,058 injury accidents and 275,069 property damage accidents. Of those accidents, the age group with the highest fatality rate was 16-20 year olds. The age group with the highest amount of injury accidents was 16-20 year olds. The age group with the highest number of property damage accidents, you guessed it, 16-20 year olds. Accidents involving youth in Ohio are occurring at an alarming rate.

In Licking County (2004), there were approximately 19 fatal crashes involving approximately 22 deaths. There were approximately 1,303 injury crashes and 3,515 property damage crashes in Licking County. These statistics clearly show a need for an intervention program such as STOPPED.

As your children grow and mature, parental supervision and involvement in day to day activities becomes more and more important. When they reach the age of obtaining their permit to drive and obtaining a license, your involvement should become paramount. They need to know that they will still be corrected for bad behavior or driving habits. They need to be reassured that you will be there to assist them with their problems. The men and women of The Licking County Sheriff's Office are always striving to find ways to keep the youth of our community safe.

View the S.T.O.P.P.E.D. Brochure

Sincerely,

Randy Thorp

Sheriff