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ESCANABA - To reduce the number of young drivers who are injured or killed in motor crashes each year, the Michigan Sheriffs' Association has developed a program called STOPPED (Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers).

The program notifies parents in the event their child is stopped for a driving violation.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for persons between 15 to 20 years of age, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Annually, more than 3,000 drivers, ages 16-21, die in the United States as a result of motor vehicle crashes.

Although they represent less than 15 percent of all licensed drivers in Michigan, young adults are involved in almost 25 percent of all crashes.

To help keep kids safer, parents can choose to register with the Michigan Sheriffs' Association any motor vehicle that will be operated by a driver under the age of 21.

The MSA will issue an identification decal that should be affixed to the front windshield of each registered vehicle. If for any reason, the registered vehicle is stopped by sheriff's deputies while a person under the age of 21 is driving, the officer will complete a notification card that provides the following information: time and location of stop, driver's name and the number of passengers, reason for the stop and/or whether any citations were issued.

The notification will then be mailed directly to the parents to make them aware of potential problems as well as enable them to enforce parental rules that often co-exist with teenage driving privileges.

Without the sticker, teenagers will often avoid telling their parents they were stopped or ticketed, making it difficult to solve the problem, said Delta County Undersheriff Ed Oswald. Oswald said the sticker isn't a target for police, rather it acts as a reminder for young drivers.

"It's something the teenager can see in the window to kind of remind them to drive safe," he said. "It's really about knowing their surroundings and looking out."

Young adults perceive and react to risks differently than older adults, according to the MSA. At times, this is exhibited as a failure to understand danger or act appropriately, which can turn deadly when on the road.

"The leading cause of death for teenagers who start driving is auto accidents, and we want to to do what we can to make them a little safer," said Oswald. "If we can just eliminate one more (accident), it makes it safer for everyone on the roads, especially for teenagers."

Oswald said the most common accident teenagers are involved in are rear-end collisions, which makes up 30 percent of accidents. Single-vehicle crashes make up the most fatal accidents at 37.7 percent.

"It usually involves speeding, so the sticker is really going to help out in reminding them to be careful," said Oswald. "There's so many factors with teen drivers. Often they'll have three or more passengers, and the chances of accidents triple with three passengers."

When a parent receives a letter in the mail, Oswald suggests they take their child out for more driving practice.

"As a parent you try to do everything you can," he said. "I suggest a lot of driving with children, during the day and make sure you do some night driving. It's nice if you're downstate to get kids used to merging traffic and expressways. The big thing experience, judging distance, knowing risks and looking out, not just thinking about yourself. Experienced drivers avoid accidents that way."

The STOPPED program is sponsored by AAA. The Secretary of State's office has registration forms available, and they will also be distributed at schools.

For more information, contact the Delta County Sheriff's Office at 786-3633.