FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHERIFF'S TELLING OUR PARENTS AND PROMOTING EDUCATED DRIVERS

ENROLL YOUR VEHICLE IN STOPPED click here

Please note: Parents in any Michigan County may sign up and we will forward your request to your county sheriff.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Terrence L. Jungel

July 24, 2009 (517) 485-3135

MICHIGAN SHERIFFS' ASSOCIATION STOPPED PROGRAM

TO INCLUDE ORVs, SNOWMOBILES & BOATS

The Michigan Sheriffs' Association is pleased to announce that it is expanding its award-winning STOPPED (Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers) Program to allow parents to register their snowmobiles, ORVs and boats. With summer vacation in full swing teens will not only be on the road more, they will also be on the thousands of lakes and trails across Michigan. For five years the STOPPED program has brought parents some peace of mind when their children are on the road. With more than 800,000 boats, 275, 000 snowmobiles and 139,000 ORVs registered in Michigan we realized the program could be just as successful off the roads as it is on them.

Funding for the program, which is available to parents free of charge, has graciously been provided by AAA Michigan since 2006. Working together the Michigan Sheriffs' Association and AAA Michigan are striving to foster a partnership between parents and law enforcement to promote safe driving by teens.

“The fact that the STOPPED program continues to expand underscores its success,” said Secretary Land, who is making program information available to customers in branch offices across Michigan. “By engaging both parents and teens in safe-driving discussions, STOPPED encourages an open dialogue within families that can help save lives. We applaud the work of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association and AAA Michigan to keep our roads safe, and we’re excited to continue our participation in this worthwhile program.”

Parents simply register their vehicle online at www.misheriff.org and a STOPPED sticker is mailed to their home to be placed on the vehicle’s windshield. It serves as a visible reminder to the young driver to drive safely and responsibly, and that should he or she be pulled over for any reason, the parents will receive a letter regarding the incident. The notification feature makes parents aware of any potential problems and enables them to enforce rules they have set regarding teenage driving privileges. Information in the letter includes the time, location, number of passengers, reason for the stop and whether a citation was issued.

“There is nothing more important to a parent than the protection of their children,” said the Michigan Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Terrence L. Jungel. “Sheriffs and all of law enforcement understand this and we are here to help you any way we can.” STOPPED, which began in 2005 with pilot programs in seven Michigan counties, expanded to 27 counties in 2006, 67 counties in 2007, 73 counties in 2008 and 80 counties in 2009.

“With more than 8,500 vehicles registered in the program, there have been no reported accidents or injuries,” said Jack Peet, Manager of Community Safety Services for AAA Michigan. “In addition, there were only twelve letters that needed to be sent to parents. That tells me the teen drivers are seeing the sticker and thinking twice about taking unsafe chances they might otherwise take when it comes to driving.”

The Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, created in 1877, is the oldest law enforcement organization in the state. For more information about the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, or to support programs like STOPPED as a citizen or business member, please visit our Web site at www.misheriff.org.