Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Tracking Your Teen: Right or Wrong?

August 5th, 2011

In the midst of soaring crime rates and increasing peer pressure, parents are ready to take extreme action, even if it means using GPS tracking to keep an eye on their teens. But, do parents really have the right to track their teens? How far can you go before it becomes an invasion of privacy?

While most parents would agree that with increasing age comes a measure of responsibility, letting go of oversight is a hard pill to swallow. Shouldn’t a parent know where his son has gone? Isn’t it reasonable to know who he’s with? For parents with responsible teens the question is not so much whether the child is trustworthy, but whether her friends will lead her astray. No matter what the case, the general consensus among parents is that protecting their loved ones is of greater importance than exclusive privacy.

Naturally, teenagers tend to disagree. Many feel that they deserve a level of independence following their 13th birthday. After all, they have spent their childhood catering to parental authority. Why shouldn’t they have a say in where they go and what they do? Certainly, this position is understandable. Every adult can look back on his teen years and remember that feeling. On the other hand, we can all remember our parents breathing down our necks, too.

GPS tracking devices are no longer cumbersome contraptions. A tracker can be as small as a pager, and almost entirely undetectable on a vehicle. Parents who are deeply concerned for their teens’ safety can now effectively track them with these modern devices. Would you consider tracking your teen?

Article Written by Janice Grover

College Students Give Internal GPS Laptop Tracking a Big Thumbs Up!

July 24th, 2010

GPS tracking devices are not new technology. They have been around for decades now, helping everyday people keep their most important belongings safe. Parents trust these devices to monitor the movements of a young driver or an elderly parent with Alzheimer’s Disease. GPS tracking capabilities have been able to find missing children as well as track wayward spouses. Protection from theft is one of their major purposes. They have been used to protect priceless art, construction equipment, air conditioning units, and vehicles. And now Sony is combining many of those ideals into their new P series of Vaio laptops.

The GPS tracking devices in these Sony laptops are real time devices. This means that the tracker is continually sending out signals to satellites, giving its location, direction, and speed of travel. This information can be viewed easily on any computer with internet access. The information from the GPS tracking device can be shown on a virtual map so that it is easy to see everywhere the laptop (and its owner) has been that day.

The new P series of Sony Vaio laptops weight 1.3 pounds and are 8 inches long. These mini-laptops have a 64GB SSD drive, 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, and Windows 7 Home Premium in addition to the built in GPS tracking capabilities. The P series comes in a variety of bright colors (green, pink, and orange) that will appeal to teens as well as the sleek black and white looks. The mini-laptops are light and easily portable, while offering plenty of storage space, a 4.5 hour standard battery, and a widescreen. The laptop comes with headphones and has a built in webcam and microphone that makes it easy for teens to Skype with their friends. Of course, the laptops would also be ideal for people who travel a lot for business since they are small and lightweight and can easily be slipped into a carry on bag.

Although it has just been released, the new mini-laptops have received many favorable reviews. The brand new P seriesare now available, starting at 899.99.

The GPS tracking device in one of these laptops serves a dual purpose. It will help a parent locate a missing teen, if the teen was carrying the laptop along. It would also make locating and retrieving a stolen laptop a very simple job for law enforcement officers. If Sony experiences success with their new trackable P series, it will soon become a standard feature in laptops.

GPS Tracking Replaces ‘Helicopter Parenting’

July 21st, 2010

All parents know the fears associated with protecting their children from bad people and questionable situations. Many teenagers know the frustrations resulting from overly protective parents. Parents want to make sure their child is safe. Teens want to try out their newly found wings and venture into adulthood. Thus, conflict results. No parent wants to stunt the growth of a child. However, good parents want to stay active in their children’s lives and protect them from unscrupulous activities that they are not mature enough to handle on their own just yet. Some people call that “helicopter parenting” because the parent never leaves the child alone to grow and learn. How can families walk the fine line between independence and safety? The answer lies with a high-tech device that is used more commonly than people think – GPS tracking.

Some parents and teens may find GPS teen tracking provides the solution. Many current GPS devices go beyond the more traditional uses as directional aids. For instance, two of the emerging types of GPS devices are personal tracking and vehicle tracking. Both of which can provide parents with peace of mind. Owners of these GPS devices can use them to keep an eye on their children’s actions and driving without invading their personal space or hindering their independence.

Most families don’t have children involved in feats such as Abby Sutherland’s attempt to circumnavigate the globe, (mentioned on a previous blog article) or Leigh Anne Drake’s thirteen-year-old son’s climb of Mt. Everest. In fact, most parents will question the judgment of a parent who allows their children to take such risks. However, just as teen tracking provided peace of mind for these parents, it can, through helping them stay aware of their child’s actions and location, provide a similar peace of mind for parents facing more everyday concerns.

For instance, teen tracking can help parents know where a young driver goes, what traffic laws they may break, and what speeds and locations the car experiences. Help your teen make good choices about friends and help them avoid dangerous situations. For example, although most parents probably never allow their thirteen-year-old to climb Mt. Everest, they may allow him or her to travel to a new, unfamiliar city. Tracking devices can ensure the teen stays safe or is found should a situation arise. It’s a good “Plan B” type of reassurance for the parents even though they have counseled their son or daughter on what to do in various situations.

Although many parents may feel these devices invade privacy, most will find that they actually provide the needed balance between parental control and teenage independence. By making sure that good habits are enforced, teens will have a better chance at survival alone, without Mom and Dad protecting them. In fact, most parents with children would do well to purchase a GPS teen tracking device.

(Article written by Greg Bartlett for Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc.)

Teen Tracking is Easy and Keeps them Accountable

June 22nd, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Teen drivers are some of the worst drivers in the country. On a regular basis, news reporters announce the tragic death of a handful of teenagers that were riding in a car at a rapid pace. These teens fall easily to peer pressure, and they regularly drive fast with friends in the car. With music blaring and friends talking, it can be easy to lose focus and run off road or into another car. Teen drivers need something that can keep them accountable, and teen tracking with GPS technology can help do this. Parents can monitor their children’s driving habits, and help keep their driving habits under control.

Teen Driving & GPS Tracking

Teen tracking can allow parents to track their child’s driving statistics online. This tracking can be updated live for parents to monitor. If there is anything in the report that concerns the parents, they can restrict their child’s driving privileges. This GPS tracking can allow parents the ability to control their child’s driving even when they are far away.

Reckless teens are injured or killed almost every week, and the news regularly contains reports about a young driver that was driving with friends, and lost control of his vehicle. When teens lose control of their vehicle, instincts can take over which can be a bad thing for inexperienced drivers. These drivers can run into trees, other vehicles, buildings or ditches. The teen tracking device can allow parents to monitor their teens and hopefully prevent some fatal accidents.

Teen tracking can be easily used by parents, and it can be used even by parents that are not completely up to date on technology. All that is needed is internet access, and equipment for their teen’s vehicle and parents can help monitor their child’s driving behaviors. This technology is saving lives, and parents love being able to monitor their child’s driving. Some teens may not like it at first, but they will thank their parents in the long run because this can potentially save their life. This type of tracking is very important and many people have loved this new technology. GPS tracking has saved many lives because parents can restrict the driving habits of teens that are unsafe drivers. This product keeps teenagers accountable for their actions. Parents applaud the new technology which gives them assistance in correcting bad driving habits before an incident occurs.

GPS Trackers Keep Workers—and Kids—in Line

May 26th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Vehicles are virtually indispensable in this day and age of traveling for business, commuting, and carpooling. Everyone—from employers to employees and from parents to children—is mindful of both the car and the driver.

One extremely easy way to keep tabs on your driver and your vehicle is to use a GPS tracker. A GPS tracker uses satellite technology that employs a “satellite/control center/monitor” mode of operation. This simply means that the whole process of tracking begins in space with the satellite. The satellite sends the information to a control center (sometimes found on a military base or a law enforcement facility). Then the control center passes on the information to the individual owners of the GPS trackers, called the monitors.

Teen Drivers & GPS Tracking

The information that the GPS tracker receives is helpful in many different scenarios. One such scenario is an employer who wants to keep track of both his company car and his employee. If an employee spends most of his time driving—like a pharmaceutical rep—his employer will want to make sure that that rep is doing what he says he doing and going where is supposed to be going.

It was recently reported that an employee of a sales company was recently reprimanded because, although he said he was working, a GPS tracker showed that he was actually going home and taking naps! Needless to say, his employer was less than thrilled! Still other employers may be more concerned with their employees’ driving habits and speeds, rather than their actual location.

GPS tracking devices like the Informer Lite alert the employer of the driver’s speed, travel route, and any stops made. This type of tracking would come in handy for any type of business that posts “How am I driving?” stickers; with the help of the GPS tracker, the employer can already know how the driver is driving at all times.

Still another scenario in the business world that benefits from a GPS tracker is in money-saving techniques. The employer can review his drivers’ routes to be sure that they are saving the company money by taking the fastest routes from stop to stop. One final scenario that requires vehicle monitoring would be families with teenage drivers.

Being able to monitor speed, location, travel route, and any stops made by the teenager would make any parent much more informed and able to keep their teenagers safe.

University of Minnesota Seeks to Support Safe Teen Driving

May 23rd, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

For many parents, allowing their teenagers to drive alone creates a situation fraught with fear and questions. How do parents still keep an eye on their children? How do they keep their children safe without completely taking their independence away? How do they keep their children safe without a constant physical presence?

Teenage Drivers & GPS

For many parents and teenagers, GPS car tracking systems answers these questions. These devices allow parents to monitor the safety and location of their children needing to be physically present at all times. Parents receive text messages or email notifications informing them of their child’s whereabouts, speed, and even traffic laws the teenage driver is breaking.

With studies showing that 15 to 19 year-olds experience the most car accidents and statistic indicating most of these crashes result from irresponsibility and are therefore preventable, teenage drivers could use some help. Although GPS systems provide this help, some people feel improvements could be made. The University of Minnesota joins in this quest for creating safer teen drivers with their advanced GPS car tracking system, The Teen Driver Support System. Although these devices are not new, the U of M seeks to build on the clunky original designs and create a more elegant and useable design.

With the U of M design, a teenager starts the car with his or her own, personal key. The car recognizes this key and tracks the teenager’s driving privileges. If the teenager is not allowed passengers and has one, the driver receives a warning. If the warning is ignored, a text message is sent to the parent. These text message also appear on Google Maps so parents can identify exactly where, geographically, their children break rules and laws.

Although many parents and teens may feel that GPS car tracking systems invade teenagers privacy and independence, many adults will feel this invasion a small price to pay for the safety of their teenage drivers and their passengers as well as other drivers on the road. Invasion of privacy now is probably better than grieving over a lost child or counseling a child who is dealing with loss of lives at his or her own hands. Despite the possible frustration it may cause, many parents will probably want to consider purchasing a GPS car tracking system. To neglect to purchase this device could result in years of heartache.

GPS Trackers: Peace of Mind and Independence Combined

May 20th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

If you were to ask the average child or young teenager what he or she wants the most from their parents, it might surprise you to find out that what he or she truly wants is independence and trust. However, a teenager’s desire for independence will make parents proud to see their children growing up, but it also produces a nagging fear in the parent’s hearts that comes from not knowing where their kids are at every moment.

Teen Drivers & GPS

There is a way to keep tabs on your kids even when they are out of your sight. GPS tracking devices are small, portable pieces of technology that allow you to follow your child’s or teenager’s movements. So whether they are at school, the mall, or with a friend, you can stay informed. Some GPS tracking devices also let you, as the parent, to set parameters for your child. This means that you can choose where your children can and cannot go, and, if they cross one of these set boundaries, you are alerted via text message.

All GPS tracking devices make use of the twenty-some satellites in space, and there are two basic types of trackers. The first type of GPS tracking device is a data logger. This type of device stays on the child for anywhere between 10 to 21 days continuously. A data logger does exactly what its name implies; it logs the time and location of the person wearing the GPS tracking device. You, as the parent, can remove the tracker and retrieve that data off it and on to your computer.

This type of tracker is helpful, but it does not allow you to track your child in real-time. If you are looking for up-to-date information on your child’s whereabouts, you may be more interested in a data pusher. A data pusher is still worn on the child at all times—similar to a data logger. The difference is that the data pusher periodically sends, or “pushes,” the child’s or teenager’s location every few seconds. You can then follow your child’s movements online on any web-enabled device.

Every day the news is filled with headlines of children who are lost, missing, or even abducted. It is a scary place to be as a parent and as a child. No parent wants his or her child’s desire for independence to be overtaken by fear. GPS tracking devices can bring both peace of mind and independence.

Should Parents Be Required To Track Their Teens?

May 13th, 2010

Understanding the driving habits of your teen is the easiest way to uncovering whether or not they are a bad driver. With automobile accidents being the primary cause of premature death among teenagers, accessing the driving habits of teen drivers has never been more important. However, with many teens not expressing the ritual of their daily lives and reducing communication with parents, how can parents learn the driving habits of a teen?

Teen Drivers & GPS

GPS tracking system technology is providing the answer.

One of the major problems among teen drivers is speeding, but knowing whether or not your teen is a habitual speeder can be a difficult task for many parents to prove. However, uncovering that information with a GPS monitoring device is easy. GPS monitoring devices allow parents to have access to the speeds a teen was driving and the maximum speed driven, making it simple for parents to know if their teen is driving safely or dangerously.

With teen driving safety being one of the most important topics among parents and educators, some people have been discussing legislation that would require anyone under the age of 18 to parental monitoring of driving habits via GPS tracking. The reason why some people are calling for such drastic measures is because when teens engage in unsafe driving habits not only are they endangering their lives, but they are also endangering the lives of everyone else sharing the roads with them. Therefore, if a parent were given the power to monitor their teen driver under the age of 18 they would have the ability to quickly identify if their teen was speeding or driving unsafely. They would then be able to correct the problem before it becomes an established driving behavior.

Obviously, the notion of teen tracking comes from a positive place, with people wanting to reduce teen fatalities and improve road safety overall. Although there is currently no GPS teen tracking legislation pending, only time will tell if lawmakers will look to GPS tracking technology as a tool to reduce teen speeding and improve teen safety.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.

A Clever Way to Stop Texting

May 12th, 2010

By Harriette Halepis

Source acquired via Washington Examiner, May 5, 2010, Middletown, MD – after leaving the funeral of a local teenager who was killed while driving and texting, John and Joana Tsinonis decided to do something about teens who text while driving. Armed with a strong background in software development, John Tsinonis created a device called proTextor, which literally prevents phones from sending or receiving text messages while a vehicle is operating.

Texting & Driving

Parents can download the proTextor software to a teen’s phone, and the software will automatically send any incoming texts or calls to an automated messaging system. The messaging system will send out the message “I’m driving now, call me later” to anyone who attempts to text or call a teen’s phone while that teen is driving. Since a phone will not ring or flash when a call or text is attempted, drivers will not become distracted by a cell phone.

The proTextor device uses GPS tracking technology to determine when a vehicle is in motion. By using parental controls, parents can determine at what speed the software is activated. Right now, proTextor software is only compatible with Windows mobile phones, though the creators of this software are planning on getting “…funding to include it on every phone.” Of course, in order to do this, a lot of “time and energy…” is needed.

In addition to saving the lives of distracted teens, the Tsinonis’ believe that the proTextor can save thousands of lives. By selling the software to public transportation departments across the world, the proTextor can prevent city drivers from talking and texting while driving. Numerous public transportation accidents have occurred across the globe due to public transportation drivers texting while driving.

Threatening drivers with a fine or loss of a license while using a cell phone while driving is one thing, but preventing a phone from receiving or sending texts and calls is quite another. Many drivers simply ignore laws prohibiting texting and talking while driving, though these laws are frequently ignored. Software that uses GPS technology to stop drivers from using a cell phone is entirely innovative. The proTextor is currently available through the proTextor website.

Why Teens Are Saying Yes To GPS Tracking

May 10th, 2010

Discussing Vehicle Tracking Devices With Your Teen

At first thought, it seems unlikely that any teenager would actually agree to letting a parent install a GPS tracking device to their vehicle. Why would a teen driver want a parent to know everywhere they are going, who they are hanging out with and the speeds they are driving? The answer is simple, freedom.

Teen Drivers & GPS Tracking

Parents are influential in every aspect of a teen’s life, providing guidance, shelter, food and financial assistance. When most teens receive their first set of keys, Mom and Dad usually are the ones who purchased the vehicle, or at the very least are helping pay for the monthly car insurance payments. By helping a teen pay for the cost of a vehicle or the insurance payments many teens struggle to pay for themselves, parents are empowered. Parents are the puppet masters and have the ability to pull strings, placing contingencies upon the teen driver for a variety of reasons.

If a teen doesn’t get good grades: bye-bye car keys.

If a teen gets in trouble with friends: bye-bye parental assistance in paying for car insurance.

How many parents are getting teens to agree to place GPS tracking systems on their vehicle is by providing reinforcing contingencies. First, a parent sits down with the teen driver and has a discussion about driving safety, GPS tracking technology and finances. The parent explains that they want to help pay for the teen’s first vehicle or their monthly insurance payments, however, they want to make certain that the teen is being safe. The parent then explains how GPS tracking technology can provide the verification that the teen is adhering to the rules of the road. They also explain how a vehicle tracking system can act as a theft recovery device, and potentially result in the teen receiving lower monthly insurance payments.

The teen is given two options, take the freedom along with the tracking device or continue using chevro-legs to get from point A to point B.

Not surprisingly, teens are saying yes to GPS tracking.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.