Free DriveCams still available

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008

According to Debbie Jennings with the Calvert County Traffic Safety Council, there are 40 cameras still available free of charge for any teen interested in being a part of the year-long DriveCam program.

Jennings announced this week that an open enrollment will be held Thursday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 210 Main Street in Prince Frederick for those interested in taking part in the program.

DriveCam has officials from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties joining forces in an effort to reduce traffic-related incidents with young drivers.

The pilot program, sponsored by the Maryland State Highway Administration, will allow 300 young drivers, 100 from each county, to place a camera above their rearview mirror, capturing images of both the driver and the driver’s view of the road.

While the cameras are always rolling, video is only recorded for up to 10 seconds prior to a change in g-force strong enough to lock the driver’s seatbelt, such as a hard brake or swerve. This video is then viewed by employees of DriveCam to prepare a report for the driver and the video is also available to be viewed by parents and the driver.

According to a press release, ‘‘the cameras come with free installation and a year of parental feedback on their teen’s progress in developing safe driving skills and habits through DriveCam’s weekly report cards and event feedback program. The cameras can go into vehicles that are shared by multiple drivers.”

Jennings said in the release all communications that parents have are between the participants and DriveCam to ensure privacy.