Yesterday, November 26, 2007, the Sonoma County Superior Court set a trail date, in January, to hear the appeal of the guilty verdict in the case of Shaun Malone’s radar speeding ticket. This will be the first actual hearing in this process as the first trial was by affidavit and only documents were reviewed. The Court also granted a modified motion for discovery so that Shaun can have access to relevant information from the Petaluma Police Department.
Rocky Mountain Tracking, the company that supplied the GPS tracking device that Shaun’s parents placed in his car, have volunteered to provide an expert witness on GPS for Shaun’s defense, should it be necessary. They have also started a Teen Safety Program at my request and will give a 5% discount to teen parents if they use the discount code: “rude”.
Please note, the only reason this website is in existence, or that this story has been allowed to be covered by the media, is the hope that the exposure will encourage other parents of teen drivers to utilize this technology to stop the carnage of our teens and others due to teen driver accidents. We are suffering more casualties each year due to traffic accidents involving teen drivers than we have suffered in the entire Iraq war. Parents now have an easy, affordable and extremely effective way to help stop these needless tragedies.
Ironically, after Shaun’s appearance yesterday, the Judge went on to address a courtroom packed with teen drivers and their parents. He began by explaining that the court does not need their money, and that is not why they are there. He pointed to a very large glass topped table filled with news clippings of teens killed in accidents in Sonoma County. The Judge then stated; “That is why we are here. We have had too many teen’s killed in Sonoma County and the dying has to stop!” I couldn’t agree with him more. In fact, Shaun’s mother and I agreed to participate in the creation of a T.V. commercial promoting the use of GPS tracking as a method of parents managing their teen’s driving behavior. It will be aired in Sonoma County on the cable channels. When it is completed, I will post a link to it here.
Another suggestion for any parents of teen drivers reading this… take your teen to Juvenile Traffic Court, BEFORE they get their first ticket. Sit for a couple of hours, watch, listen, and learn… It is a real eye opener, for both of you. Driving is a very serious undertaking that places the teen’s life at risk, and the parent’s financial future at risk.
