FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2013
Contact: Barbara Redmond
207-626-8400

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Secretary of State Announces Launch of New Mobile App to Enhance The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program

AUGUSTA – Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap today announced the launch of an extension to The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program, a new mobile app titled RoadReady™.  The app, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, is designed to augment the program in its mission to address a need to improve roadway safety and teen driving behaviors.  RoadReady™ is currently available on the App Store at no charge and will be made available to Android users in 2014.

?It?s a great feeling to be arming parents and teens with a technologically-advanced, free toolkit that encourages their participation in the teen driver education process,? said Secretary Dunlap. ?Not only are we providing parents of permitted teens with a guide to assist them through the state required 70 hours of supervised driving, but this new mobile app RoadReady? will help parents to track the actual time they spent behind the wheel with their teen.?

Parents of teens obtaining their learner’s permit are given a copy of The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program by their driving instructor at the conclusion of the required parental involvement component of driver education. The program focuses on the role of the parent in the teen driver education process and is provided at no cost to families or to taxpayers thanks to sponsorship by Ford Motor Company with support from Vermont Mutual Insurance and Irving Oil.

Studies show that parents have a tendency to overestimate the amount of time they spend driving with their teen. RoadReady™ eliminates the question of overestimated time and allows parents and teens to focus on driving skills, roadway conditions and enhanced experiences as the app automatically and accurately tracks their time together.

RoadReady™ also offers educational features, such as tips and suggestions to assist parents throughout the supervised driving process and tracks roadway types and weather conditions to encourage parents and teens to spend more time driving together in a variety of conditions. The app offers the ability to print a driving log with a list of all supervised driving sessions, which can be returned to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) upon applying for a road test.

For more information on The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program please go to:  www.theparentssuperviseddrivingprogram.com.

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