By Greg Bartlett

Parents can find out just how trustworthy their teen driver is with a GPS tracking system. Working parents don’t have the time to chauffeur their teenagers around, and having a licensed teen can actually be as much of a relief to parents as it is an excitement to the teenager. But how can you tell if your teen will obey the rules you have set up for them?

Giving a teenager a late curfew and the keys to their own car just might be the worst decision for a parent to make.
But many parents have no choice. However, a Global Positioning System (GPS tracking system) can monitor your teen’s driving for you, carefully recording many aspects such as mileage driven, time, speed, and location. One common feature, called a geo-fence, will inform you by text message or email that your teenager has driven to an off limits area such as a bar. This feature also allows you to set an area that your teen is not allowed to leave, like a 40 mile radius from your home. Text message and email alerts will keep you notified if your teenager breaks a rule. This would allow you to contact them immediately.

After you’ve picked out a GPS tracking system to use, sit down with your teenager and lay out the rules. Show them all the features of the tracking system that you’ll be using. Let them know that you’ll be keeping tabs on their driving. Teens will be more careful if they know their parents can check up on them. If they know that you’ll be notified when they are speeding, they won’t be as tempted to rush or try to race the cars around them. Since the GPS tracks the time and location, your teen will know that they cannot lie about their plans. They can’t argue with a GPS. They know it will show their true location, no matter where you think they are. They will know that if the GPS recorded that their car was going 95 mph last night, there is not much they can say except to admit that they were speeding.

The strict accountability of a GPS tracking system will help your teenager drive safely. Parents can rest assured that their teen can be trusted with the car keys because they will be notified of any reckless driving.