Florida Creates Web Site For Parents To Check Childrens Driving Records

Florida has recently added a new website for parents to check their childrens driving records. This allows parents, who are responsible for the behavior of their children, a place where they can proactively check to see that their children are obeying the rules of the road.

While a bit intrusive, parents also need to monitor their childrens behavior. They are typically legally obligated, and in my opinion morally obligated, for their childrens actions. And if their children are misbehaving outside the home, the parents can remediate the situation instead of waiting for notification from the state.

Jeffrey Klapatch’s mother wrote on the site, “my big, beautiful, 6-foot-2, 200-pound son was killed in a violent motorcycle accident.”

Klapatch’s tragic end propelled his mother to action. On Jan. 1, 2007, the Jeffrey Klapatch Act went into effect in Florida.

“We have to give parents all the tools we can possibly give them to keep our children safe,” Pinellas County Tax Collector Diane Nelson said.

Parents can now check their children’s driving records up to the age of 18. Klapatch’s mother did not want another parent to make the same mistake. Her 18-year old son loved his motorcycle, and even more, he loved speed. He received nine speeding tickets before the fatal motorcycle accident.

“His parents did not know this,” Nelson said. “Perhaps maybe if this web site had been developed at that time, they would have been able to monitor that a little bit better.”

Once you’re on the highway safety and motor vehicles web site, click on the parental access link. You’ll be asked to enter your child’s drivers license number. Then you’ll have to verify the last four digits of your child’s social security number and birth date. via baynews9.com