Parents can use smartphones to monitor teen driving
Handing over the car keys to a new teen driver can be a proud - but nerve wracking - experience for parents. While even five years ago parents could do nothing but smile and tell their son or daughter to keep their eyes on the road, these days there are a number of devices and smartphone apps that can allow them to remotely monitor their teen's driving.
Smartphone devices
While the company Taser may be known as a nonlethal weapons manufacturer, Fast Company magazine reports it also produces an in-car tracking device called the Protector. The device can limit driving distractions by automatically locking a programmed smartphone once the vehicle's engine is switched on, preventing calls and text messages except to 911 and select numbers authorized by parents. The Protector sells for $249 on its website, plus a monthly subscription.
Allstate has created a new application for smartphones that will allow parents to keep in touch with their children. The Tag In application, which works on iPhone, Android and Blackberry phones, allows kids to send a simple message and GPS location saying they've arrived safely or are on their way home.
Speedbump, an Android-enabled smartphone application, can promote car safety by alerting parents if their child drives faster than a certain predetermined speed, according to the source. The application—which is more affordable at just $12.99 a month for automatic speed detection—can also give teens more freedom than the Protector since its tracking in only activated when a violation is detected.
Apple also offers an iPhone application known as the Safe Driver Program, which can allow users to document acceleration, braking, cornering, and speed. If something like a pre-set speed limit is violated, the program automatically sends a text message or email to parents, including information on the vehicle being used, time of the incident, and the actual violation.
Car cameras can record aggressive driving
There are also car monitoring devices available for families who don't have smartphones. For instance, one Wisconsin company is now offering a Teen Safe Driver Program that includes the installation of a camera capable of recording 20-second videos in and outside of the car during an aggressive driving event. The video would then be posted on the manufacturer DriverCam's website that can then alert the driver's parents of the incident.
How to prepare teens for the road
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says eight teens are killed in a collision each day. The agency said safety programs such as the graduated driver licensing laws—which limit high-risk conditions such as driving at night or with other teen passengers for newly licensed drivers—are credited for decreasing the number of 16-and 17-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes by 34 percent between 2004 and 2008.
The CDC said parents are key in instilling safe driving practices in their teens. To set a good example, the agency said parents should make sure to avoid talking on the phone, texting or driving without a seat belt when their teen is in the car to convey the message that those behaviors are unacceptable. They should also discuss the rules or the road with their teens and set solid consequences if they are broken.
