When my kids were just starting to drive I wanted to put a sign in the back window to alert other drivers that they were still new to this whole driving thing.

I thought it would make other drivers be a little more patient with them and to ease off from following too close or doing the other things that “experienced” drivers do when they are unhappy with the pace or uncertainty of another driver.

My kids thought this was a terrible idea that would do little more than embarrass them and, in their minds, would lead to drivers being even more rude toward them. The sign never made it onto the bumper, the kids have learned to drive, and life goes on.

I still feel like giving drivers sharing the road with these newbies a heads up is not such a bad idea. That’s why I like this new concept that’s come out of Michigan.

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A mother and her son, based on their own experience, have developed something called the Rookie Driver Program. It’s not rocket science, but it’s the kind of thing that I think my kids would have gone for. Essentially this mother and her son have developed stylized magnets that can be mounted on the car that state “rookie driver.”

The magnets are kind of cool; they have bright colors, and some look like racecar stickers.

Apparently the kids don’t mind having them mounted on the car they are driving, so the message gets out without being a total embarrassment. The Web site, www.RookieDriver.net, is a little hard sell, but the products are varied and seem like they will get the message out that there is a new driver behind the wheel.

TRAFFIC SAFETY SUMMIT PLANNED

At the end of this month, state officials will participate in a traffic safety summit. This is a way for law enforcement, planners, designers, politicians and just about everyone who plays a role in safety on Maryland’s roads to get together and compare notes.

One of the biggest problems is when one agency makes a change without getting input from the others. More often than you might think, they end up stepping on each other’s toes (in the figurative sense), and the drivers are the ones who end up paying for it in time lost or crashes.

These summits are still a bit new in concept, and there are, as you might imagine, wildly diverse needs when you get people in the same room who are from Baltimore City and from a small town on the Eastern Shore. At the same time, it’s interesting how many times these groups can come up with ideas or examples of things they’ve done that will help in other regions.

MORE MARYLANDERS BUCKLE UP

A little while ago I had written how seat belt use in the Northeast was lower than in other parts of the country. Maryland is bucking the trend. The State Highway Administration says that 93 percent of drivers in the state are buckling up, and that puts us at or near the top in the country. That number, gained through “observational surveys”, is 2 percent higher than it was last year.

Questions, comments, random musings? Write to Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com.