TEENAGE DRIVERS TARGETED RECKLESSNESS REPORTS SOUGHT.

Byline: Amy Raisin Darvish Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Determined to reduce the disproportionately high number of crashes among teen drivers, the local sheriff's station will launch a program urging witnesses to call in reports of teens driving dangerously.

The Sheriff's Teen Traffic Offender Program, or STTOP, which will begin April 8, will rely on alert motorists and parents to call a toll-free number to report the license plate of a hazardous driver, as well as the time and location of the incident.

Armed with this information, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department can trace the address to which the vehicle is registered. A deputy will visit the residence and issue a warning to the driver and, when applicable, to the driver's parents.

``The main goal here is to save lives,'' said Lt. Mike Dunkle of the Santa Clarita sheriff's station. ``This way, we can get to these kids in a nice way before they get into trouble, before it becomes a ticket or collision.''

A first-year driver's chance of being in a crash is 95 percent greater than that of more experienced drivers, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

And more than 60 percent of teen passenger deaths occur when another teen is driving, a tragic statistic attributed largely to inexperience and immaturity.

Backed by the local sheriff's Citizens Traffic Safety Committee, STTOP's purpose is not to prosecute, but to educate the offender, the community and parents, organizers said.

``(Law enforcement) is not around all the time to see if a driver is breaking the law, just as parents can't be there to see it their kids are driving badly,'' Dunkle said. ``STTOP gives us another set of eyes and it's a way for us to give a warning that has no penalty.''

Dunkle agreed that a witness might observe a vehicle being operated dangerously - speeding, making an unsafe lane change, failing to yield - without clearly seeing the gender or age range of the driver. But he urges witnesses to call anyway.

``No matter what age, we'd like to get in contact with that driver,'' he said. ``As I said, this is about saving lives.''

Beginning April 8, motorists and pedestrians who witness an unsafe driver can call (877) 310-STOP and leave a message describing the event, and, most importantly, giving the license plate number. A deputy will follow up the following day.

For information about STTOP, call the Santa Clarita sheriff's station at [phone].

Amy Raisin Darvish, [phone]

amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com