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A pilot traffic-safety program that allows parents of young drivers to be a "fly on the wall" through an on-board camera that records potentially risky behavior is drawing little interest from Montgomery County families.
"It's been tough," said Christina Sinz of the Washington Metro Region Highway Safety Office, which has only two sign-ups for the DriveCam for Families program. "We're not exactly sure why. Of course the kids aren't gung-ho about it — they think it's a camera to spy on them — but we're not sure why the parents aren't buying in."
The program kicked off almost a year ago in Southern Maryland but not all of the 300 available cameras were claimed.
Sinz has spoken at high school PTA meetings, including one in Damascus, and distributed fliers with little success in finding homes for the 20 remaining cameras. Program participants are asked to commit to a year-long study. Drivers ages 16-20 are eligible.
Jennings said once young drivers understood that the videos were not viewed by law enforcement, insurance agents, school officials or other potential threats, "they're OK, they really are … I don't really hear any ‘Big Brother' stuff."
Jim Williamson of Clarksburg said his own past as a young driver inspired his interest. He had three crashes in his first year behind the wheel, he said.
Williamson heard about the program on the radio. His son Mateo, 17, a student at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, was cooperative.
"Honestly, it's not a big deal to me as far as Big Brother," Mateo Williamson said. "The big picture is it's meant to benefit more people than me ... Hopefully, I can learn from [my father's] mistakes and hopefully with this other people can learn from my mistakes."
