Thanks to the ingenuity of Boothbay Harbor Police Officer Larry Brown and the generosity of the Lions Club, Boothbay region parents have a new option for protecting young drivers.

Brown said last year’s automobile-related tragedies involving local teenagers stirred him to look for ways to help keep young drivers safe on the road.

His search led him to the Taylor Foundation, a nonprofit established by Bucksport parents after their 15-year-old daughter, Taylor, was killed in an accident where the driver was a newly-licensed teenager, who should not have had Taylor in the car.

Under Maine law, special restrictions apply to new drivers who are under 18 years of age. For 270 days after their license is issued, these intermediate drivers cannot carry non-family passengers, drive between the hours of 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. or drive while using a mobile device.

After Brown learned about the foundation’s TAYLOR tags, bright pink motor vehicle tags that identify intermediate drivers, he approached the Lions Club for funding. Glenn Tilton said the club was happy to help with this effort and donated $400 to purchase TAYLOR tags for the Boothbay peninsula.

Brown said Taylor tags are affixed to a motor vehicle’s front and rear windows. They are effective because they let parents know if their teen is getting into a vehicle driven by an intermediate driver; the tags alert law enforcement officers that a driver is in intermediate status and they make it easier for an intermediate driver to avoid peer pressure when other teens ask for a ride.

These tags are now available, free of charge, at the Boothbay Harbor Police Station.

Brown said a teen driver’s risk of being killed in a crash increases greatly when there are younger passengers in the vehicle. 

“Their risk of a fatal crash increases 44 percent when carrying one passenger younger than 21 and doubles when carrying two passengers younger than 21,” Brown said. “It quadruples when carrying three or more passengers under 21. Conversely, the risk of being involved in a fatality decreases by 62 percent when an adult age 35-plus is in the vehicle.”

As School Resource Officer, Brown has explained the TAYLOR tag program to faculty, administration, students and parents at Boothbay Region Schools. He said the reaction he has received has been very supportive.

Parents and teen drivers are encouraged to stop by the Boothbay Harbor Police station and have their vehicle TAYLOR tagged, free of charge thanks to the Boothbay Lions. 

For more information, check out www.taylorfoundation.com.