By Greg Bartlett
That’s right, your teenager just turned old enough to get his driver’s license, and he’s excited. Really excited. However, that’s not exactly your emotion. Sure, you’re glad your kid has reached the next stage of his life and now he can be a little more independent. Yeah, it’ll be nice not to have to drive him to school, band practice, soccer games, and everywhere else he wants or needs to go. But still, you have to wonder – will he be safe?
It’s a valid concern. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers, who typically have higher crash rates and higher death rates in crashes than other drivers, totaling approximately 5,000 teenage deaths each year and about 400,000 serious injuries to teens each year. One study suggests that teenage drivers are about four times more likely than other drivers to have an accident. And the first year of driving is the most dangerous.
While you don’t want your teenager to be one of the death or injury statistics, you also want to allow him some freedom. Obviously you can’t ride with him everywhere he goes, even if you wanted to. But you can still find out where he is and what he’s doing with GPS tracking.
GPS tracking allows parents to find out where their teenager is, how fast the car is going, and to notice any erratic or unsafe driving. Since speeding is often a cause of accidents and teenagers are likely to speed, parents can set up the GPS tracking system to notify them with an email, text message, or phone call if the car exceeds a certain limit.
Parents can also be alerted if the car is being driven during unauthorized hours or goes outside of predetermined areas.
Many GPS vehicle tracking systems also allow parents to lock the car’s doors, honk the horn, flash the headlights, and even turn off the car – all from a distance. Parents can keep a close watch on their teenage driver’s activities without having to be in the car with him or her and, as long as the teenager is driving carefully, without disrupting the teenager’s life.
You can be excited, too, now that your teenager is ready to drive, and you don’t have to worry about his safety if you have a GPS tracking device installed. It will help you monitor your teen and ensure that the car is being driven safely and responsibly.
