Nancy Bauman

When Nancy Bauman’s oldest daughter was a senior at Kennedy High School in Bellmore in 2007, tragedy struck the community when two local high school students were killed in a horrific car accident. Nancy’s phone rang constantly with people calling to discuss the devastating news. But when her daughter called her crying about the accident, her heart just broke. “I had no idea who the boys were,” Nancy says, “but it struck a nerve.”

Nancy Bauman

According to a 2006 American Automobile Association (AAA) study, teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 were involved in some 974,000 automobile accidents that injured more than 400,000 and resulted in the death of more than 2,500. Driving fatalities are the leading cause of death for teenagers between 16 and 20 and a car accident is three to five times more likely to occur when there are multiple passengers in the vehicle.

The AAA also researched the economic impact of teen auto accidents: A whopping $34 billion annually is attributed to medical expenses, lost wages, property damage and related costs. These are staggering and sobering statistics on the death, injury and destruction that teen car accidents represent. But with the help of Nancy’s new company, WeSee4u.com, along with public involvement, many can be prevented.

Nancy, a Bellmore resident, remembers her thoughts on the accident that so rattled her community. “I wondered,” she says, “why didn’t someone notice them as they were weaving in and out of traffic?”

Nancy knew then that she wanted to help prevent another driving tragedy. “It just got to me as a parent. My own daughter had just started driving.” She thought, “What if someone had seen them and reported it [their erratic driving]?” Nancy knows that some parents don’t want to believe that their children would act recklessly behind the wheel. “Children can seem very responsible. They drive one way in front of their parents and another way with their friends.”

Nancy had seen “How is my driving?” signs on business vehicles but had never seen a message about reporting a teenager’s erratic driving. She created WeSee4U as a driver-monitoring system that includes a bumper sticker with a unique PIN number affixed to the bumper of the teenager’s car. If another driver notices reckless or unsafe driving or an occupant not wearing a seat belt, they can phone in a report and the call is recorded and e-mailed to the parents of the driver. “The e-mail message is sent exactly as it was reported,” Nancy reiterates. “There is no police involvement.” After the parents are notified via e-mail, how they want to handle the situation is up to them. Nancy stresses that all information is kept completely confidential, with no other party involved.

Nancy recently launched the website www.WeSee4U.com, where people can order the bumper sticker. She will be working with local Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and PTAs to sign up young drivers, and will also raise funds for the organization, with a portion of each purchase donated to these organizations. She will also speak to insurance companies regarding a WeSee4U driver discount.

“I would like to see it [the bumper sticker] on every car driven by a teenager,” Nancy says. “Kids don’t realize that they are not invincible. [A car key] is a key to a weapon. I’ll watch out for your kids and you watch out for mine. The tag line for WeSee4U says what we’re doing: Let’s save lives together.”

For more information, go to www.WeSee4U.com or call 866-933-5020.