Police will notify parents about teen traffic tickets

BY KAREN E. BOWES
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Police Chief John Pollinger has begun to notify parents of drivers under the age of 18 when they’re found driving at a reckless speed.

“What brought it to a head was on Jan. 1, I pulled over a kid on Navesink River Road doing 85 mph in 40 mph zone, 100 yards before McClees Creek,” said Pollinger. “The kid wouldn’t have survived going over the hump at 85. He would’ve been killed.”

A year previous, two teens were killed at the same location. Police estimated that the driver was operating at a speed of 60 mph before losing control of the vehicle, hitting another car head on and then landing against a tree which ultimately killed two of the three passengers.

“I’d rather have a letter in the mail than a knock on the door,” said the chief. “I’ve knocked on too many doors in the middle of the night.”

Pollinger has issued seven letters to parents since the beginning of the year.

“The kids think they’re invincible,” said Pollinger. “Twenty will show up to put flowers on a road side memorial, and then it’s right back to the same behavior. ... I tell them, this isn’t a movie set.”

Pollinger, although not obligated by law to notify parents, said he has a moral obligation to do so.

“While our state juvenile laws require parental notification any time a person under the age of 18 is taken into custody for even a minor criminal offense, no such requirement exists for parents to be notified when their son or daughter operates a vehicle in such a manner that would be likely to cause serious injury or death to themselves or others,” Pollinger said in a press release announcing the new procedure.

“I’ve seen too many parents crushed and had their lives changed forever because of one stupid mistake,” said the chief.

The procedure went into effect Jan. 3.