Car accidents kill more than 5,000 teens across the country every year, but a new Youngstown company hopes to lower those numbers with a program called "StreetEyes."
They will film your teen driving so you can see what they are doing right and wrong.
"An appointment is arranged with the client. Our driver falls in behind with the subject vehicle, follows that vehicle for the specified period of time with the camera. And the cameras capture not only the video, but the speed and the GPS of the vehicle as well," said Jim Lipjanic, StreetEyes founder.
Lipjanic then sends a DVD to the parents showing exactly how their teen drives.
"If the teen did everything right, great, you've got some peace of mind, mom and dad. Your kid did exactly what you want them to do behind the wheel. If you see some problems, here's a chance for you to fix it before something bad happens," Lipjanic said.
But some teens think it's an invasion of privacy and wouldn't be comfortable having someone follow them as they learn to drive.
"So if you're going to start monitoring everywhere they go, you're going to kind of take back that trust," said Brandi Weikart, AAA driving instructor.
Lipjanic agrees, but said the benefits outweigh any negatives.
"I think that's true. But you know what? I have teenagers. In another year, they are going to be driving. I'm willing to face that stigma with my kids to keep them safe," Lipjanic said.
Weikart takes her driving students on a course where they text and drive. Many knock over more than 50 cones. She said hands-on experience is more valuable than a video.
"Yes, they know driving and texting can kill people. But actually driving it and running over stuff, I think would have a bigger impact," Weikart said.
"We have to do everything we can. If it's not my kids texting, it may be some other teen texting or grown-up that puts my teen or my family at risk," Lipjanic said.
Lipjanik said he came up with StreetEyes after seeing how high insurance rates spike when you add a teenage driver to your policy.
If you're interested in StreetEyes, the program is available now in Youngstown. For more information, click
here.
