HOLMDEL — The township Police Department is stepping up efforts to keep teen drivers, and all other drivers, safe by informing the guardians of teen drivers who have violated the provisional driver’s license statutes.
According to a press release from the Holmdel Police Department, since March 2007, Chief Raymond Wilson has sent more than 200 letters to the homes of the teenagers who received provisional driver’s license summonses.
The letter from Wilson explains that the court will ultimately determine any penalties that may result from the summons at a mandatory court appearance. In notifying the parents or guardians, it is the department’s hope that the family will address the matter with their child, the letter states.
“Many times parents are the last to know that their child committed a violation under the New Jersey provisional driver’s license statute,” Wilson said in a press release. “All too often the family is only made aware that violations had previously occurred, when they are met with a tragic event.”
Enclosed with the chief’s letter is information on the specifics of the New Jersey provisional driver’s license program. The program information sheet is a useful tool that a parent or guardian can use to aid them in discussing the provisional driver’s license program with their teen driver.
According to a press release from Holmdel police, there has been a positive reaction from residents and nonresidents after receiving the notification from the chief.
Parents have contacted the Holmdel Police Traffic Safety Unit and thanked the department for notifying them about their child’s violation. Many times their children had not made them aware of the violation, according to the release.
The release says that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics reflect that nationally in 2006, 4,842 teen passenger vehicle occupants, ages 16 to 20, were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and 58 percent (2,813) were unrestrained at the time of the fatal crash. For this reason, the release states, it is important to stress to all provisional license drivers that when driving nonfamily members, they must have only one passenger in the vehicle and that everyone in the vehicle must be wearing a seat belt.
If residents would like further information, they should contact Traffic Safety Sgt. Kenneth McGowan at 732-946-4400.