Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Tracking With GPS to Protect

April 27th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

GPS tracking technology has become a mainstay in monitoring vehicles, assets, and people. It makes use of one or more of the thirty-some satellites that are floating in space. Satellites transmit information, and that information is received by the owners of tracking devices. Tracking devices, such as teen tracking devices, transmit information that can be accessed by anyone with access to a web-enabled device such as a computer or a mobile phone. Tracking devices are used to locate cars, assets-like cargo, and people-such as children, elderly parents, and teenagers. In fact, teen tracking devices are quickly becoming a very popular way to ensure children’s safety.

Teen Drivers & GPS Tracking

Teenagers, much to their dismay, are inexperienced drivers. Their reflexes are not as precise and immediate as their parents’ or older counterparts’ reflexes are. Sadly, there is proof of this as car accidents are the number one killer of young people between the ages of sixteen and twenty every year. It is reported that nearly 6,000 teenagers are killed every year in car accidents. Whether they are the drivers or passengers, teenagers fall prey to accidents. They are easily distracted by phones, texting, radio, and other passengers. Teenagers who have caused accidents admit to being easily distracted, and teenagers hurt in accidents admit that, in many cases, the driver was not as focused as he should have been.

Teenagers, as you can imagine, are not crazy about being “tailed” like this, but it is definitely for their own good and for the good of the other drivers on the road. Protection like this will make the roads safer, and it will keep the teenage driver in your house far more alert and defensive. Teen tracking devices are an extremely effective way to utilize GPS technology in today’s society.

Track to Protect

April 24th, 2010

GPS technology has become a mainstay in tracking vehicles, assets, and people. It makes use of one or more of the thirty-some satellites that are floating in space. Satellites transmit information, and that information is received by the owners of tracking devices. Tracking devices, such as teen tracking devices, transmit information that can be accessed by anyone with access to a web-enabled device such as a computer or a mobile phone. Tracking devices are used to locate cars, assets-like cargo, and people-such as children, elderly parents, and teenagers. In fact, teen tracking devices are quickly becoming a very popular way to ensure children’s safety.

Teen Drivers & GPS Tracking

As the number of teen-related accidents and deaths rises, so does the desire of parents, friends, law enforcement officers, and insurance companies to stop these needless deaths. One company, AIG, is taking this to the next level. They recently launched a pilot program that allows policyholders to purchase teen tracking devices and install them into their cars to track young drivers. These GPS trackers allow parents to track their children’s whereabouts on any web-enabled device. The information that is received includes the location of the car, the car’s speed, the car’s route of travel, and any stops the car may have made along the way. Teenagers, as you can imagine, are not crazy about being “tailed” like this, but it is definitely for their own good and for the good of the other drivers on the road. Protection like this will make the roads safer, and it will keep the teenage driver in your house far more alert and defensive. Teen tracking devices are an extremely effective way to utilize GPS technology in today’s society.

Safe Teen Drivers with GPS Tracking

April 1st, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Yeah, right, you’d say. Like teen drivers could ever be safe. After all, their risk of having and dying in accidents is significantly higher than with any other drivers. That’s one of the reasons you’re worried about next year, when your teen will finally be old enough to drive. Sure, your child is excited, but you’re not. It’s just not safe.

Teen Drivers & GPS Tracking

Actually, it can be, with proper supervision. Of course you don’t have time to ride around with your teen every time he or she leaves the house to go to school, work, soccer practice, shopping, or to meet up with friends. But there is another way you can do that – with a GPS tracking unit. It can help you supervise your teenager and ensure that your teen really is driving safely.

It’s not too far-fetched to believe. Say you have a teenage son whom you think likes to drive recklessly, although he always drives carefully when you’re in the car with him – he knows he’ll be grounded if you realize he’s breaking the speed limit or driving riskily. Well, a GPS tracking unit will make it like you’re right there in the car with him. If he starts driving at unsafe speeds, you’ll receive a notification by phone call, text message, or email. You can call your teen right then and tell him to slow down, and you’ll be able to tell whether or not he obeys because the GPS unit is still tracking him and will inform you about the car’s location, speed, stops, and even if the car brakes suddenly.

Or say you have a teenage daughter who likes to party with her friends. You’ve told her she is not allowed to go out really late at night, and she’s not allowed to go outside of particular boundaries. Normally you’d just have to hope you’d hear her if she sneaks out, but not with a GPS tracking unit. The device will notify you if your daughter drives during restricted hours or outside the boundaries you’ve set.

So this sounds great for you, but your teenagers might complain about being restricted. Actually, a GPS tracking unit can give teens further freedoms since they can prove to their parents that they’re driving safely and are worthy of the trust and responsibility that comes with a driver’s license. Plus, you can have peace of mind, knowing that your teenagers really are safe teen drivers.

Backseat Driving—from HOME with GPS Tracking

March 19th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Even if you don’t have children of your own, I am sure that you have heard people talking about “those dreaded teenage years.” For so many parents, this time period can be wrought with worry, fear, and frustration over the growing independence that their teenagers are seeking. The scariest part of all this is that this independence is met with their relative inexperience with the dangers around them. One way that this is seen is with teen safety.

Teenage Drivers & GPS

Whether your teenagers are driving on the road or out with some friends, you may be wondering if you can trust them to make wise choices to be in places and situations that you would approve of. There is a way to bring yourself a little peace of mind with regards to your teen’s whereabouts and his driving-GPS teen tracking. Teen tracking is the perfect blend of parenting and technology.

Teen tracking uses GPS technology to help you know exactly where your teen is. There are a few ways to do this. One very common and simple way to do this is by installing a small, inconspicuous GPS tracking device inside your teenager’s car. That device can give you detailed information about your teen’s driving. This type of teen tracking can tell you how fast the car is going, where it is going, if there are any aggressive or consistent braking/speeding patterns, and if it has stopped anywhere and for how long.

For the most part (depending on the type of GPS teen tracking device you purchase), all of this information is available to you without having to purchase or install software of any kind! All that you need to have is access to the web; so your computer, laptop, or cell phone will work just fine.

One such tracking device was recently created by Todd Follmer; his son’s girlfriend was killed in a car accident in 2004. In an interview conducted with Follmer on March 5, 2010, Follmer describes the events of the accident and how it affected his son and his family. He claims that while he knows that his teen tracking device will not bring back this young girl or the countless others who have died in crashes, it is definitely a start. Teen tracking is the perfect blend of parenting and technology.

The Teenage Years – Are You Ready?

March 17th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Are you the parents of a thirteen or fourteen year old? Are you starting to think about how your life is going to change once your teenager starts learning how to drive? What about after school jobs, activities, and friends? Sometimes it is difficult to know how to balance between protecting your child and helping them grow into responsible adulthood.

Teen Driver Safety

The best way to keep your child / teenager / young adult safe is to maintain open lines of communication and set reasonable expectations for behavior and activities. Even homes with wonderful relationships between parents and teenagers are subject to accidents and tragedy, however, and parents should not overlook dangers even to “good” teenagers. Even responsible teenagers can quickly find themselves in dangerous circumstances.

For example, statistics show that approximately 100 children each year are abducted and murdered. Another report claims that between February 2005 to July 2006, 403 kidnappings were attempted by “strangers” or “slight acquaintances” (these numbers reflect only ATTEMPTED kidnappings), and over 3,600 are kidnapped each year by a non-family member. You may be thinking, “I don’t let my teenager roam the town by himself-this would never happen to us.”

What about after-school jobs? Does your teenager have an early morning paper route? Anything could happen. Does your teenager close up the restaurant after closing each night? This can be a particularly dangerous situation if there is money on the premises or if the parking lot is not lighted adequately. Obviously, the answer is not seclusion and isolation.

One thing that may help to keep your teenager safe and to ensure your peace of mind is a GPS tracking system. A GPS tracking device can keep an active or passive record of the location of the person wearing the receiver. Satellites in outer space determine the latitude and longitude of the receiver and download the information to the internet or to a mobile device. Active systems have 24 hour information that you can download at any time.

When your teenager is on his or her paper route and you want to check, you can simply download the information and make sure they are on their route. If they are closing the store at midnight, you can log in and keep track of where they are until they drive up in your driveway.

If you are the parent of a teenager and are concerned about their safety, then investing in a GPS tracking device may be just the thing to help you find the right balance between “worried parent” and “successful parent.”

How to Keep Teen Drivers Safe with GPS Tracking

March 16th, 2010

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

It is unfortunate when parents find it out of their reach to instruct their own children on how to be responsible when they are behind the wheel of a vehicle. But, equally as sad is when a ‘good’ teen driver has an accident that claims their life or the life of another person.

Teen Drivers

Sometimes it seems as though nothing that you say or do sinks in with your kids. Should you be held accountable for that? That is another discussion for another day. Concentrating on steps you can take to help keep them safe is more productive. Here are some tips that you can use:

Set boundaries. Discipline is a lost necessity in many families but that does not mean that it should be discarded completely. Make sure that you establish boundaries that are not negotiable. Sitting down and talking about what is right and wrong is a requirement for setting boundaries.

Encourage safe driving habits. How long has it been since you rode with your teen driver? You should do it on a regular basis and let them know why you are there: to help them with their driving. Bad habits need to be broken, and good ones need to be cultivated.

Some bad habits: not using turn signals, making lane changes without looking beforehand, not looking both ways and/or stopping at stop signs.

Some good habits: Checking mirrors often, watch speeds and speed limits, slow down way in advance of a stop sign or light, put on seat belt before starting the car.

Watch Your Drivers. When they know that they are being watched, they are more likely to make responsible decisions. This applies to driving on the roadways as well. You can show them that speeding not only places them in jeopardy of getting a moving violation ticket, but also does little to decrease the time it takes to reach their destination.

This is like any other task in that it takes time and effort to make it happen. It is also important to set a good example. If you have bad driving habits of your own then get rid of them. Talk about them with your teen driver to help make an impact on them as to why you need to change. You might be surprised at the outcome.

Finally, don’t be afraid to talk about the consequences of irresponsible driving. Incidents are happening in your area all the time. A little fear can be healthy as long as it is based on reality. That type of fear can help alter actions. In this case, not wanting to get into an accident can help them focus on being a good driver.

If you fear that the above is not enough, maybe it is time to add a GPS Tracking device to the vehicle that your teen drives. Whether you tell them or not is up to you, but it might be the catalyst necessary to help you make a statement about how good driving is important.

Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe with Vehicle Tracking Systems

March 4th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

The news seems full of reports of teen driving deaths, around 3,500 in 2008 alone, and many parents wonder how they can keep their own young drivers safe. Certainly, when teenagers are learning, the solution is easy. Parents can sit right next to their children and monitor their every move, telling them to slow down, stop at stoplights, and cautioning them against reckless driving. However, what do parents do once their children are fully trained and learn to drive by themselves?

Teen Drivers & GPS

Many families have started using vehicle tracking systems to solve this problem. These systems allow parents to see exactly where their child is and what their child is doing. If a teenager is going over 70 in a 45 zone, he may find his phone ringing with a lecture from his mom. If another teenager appears to be engaged in reckless driving and won’t answer her phone, parents can track where she is and find her. Although these situations may seem unnecessary and annoying, especially to the teenagers involved, many lives could be saved by using GPS tracking.

Guy Thompson of Lake Oswego, Oregon tracks his 16 year old driver, Maggie using a vehicle tracking device. At first, he admits, he checked on her regularly throughout the day, and Maggie confesses she didn’t like being on a leash. However, the pair says that after awhile, Thompson started checking only once a day, and she grew used to the vehicle tracking device, forgetting, at times, that it was even there. Of course, like any teenager, she wishes her parents didn’t use it in the first place, but she is willing to put up with the process and does acknowledge that it helped cultivate trust between her and her parents. Thompson, however, feels the device is fine. Although, he does add that it needs to be between parents and children.

Although many teenagers may feel these devices signify a lack of trust on their parents’ part, most parents view that miscommunication as a small price to pay for the safety and continued lives of their children. Granted, some children are trustworthy without GPS tracking. Still, many others need the accountability provided by such a device. Parents of teen drivers should seriously consider purchasing a vehicle tracking device, thus preventing their own children from being one of the next 3,500 deaths this year.

Teens, Cars, Driving and GPS Tracking

February 4th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Teen drivers, the bane of every parent. Most parents are or at least should be concerned when their teenager borrows the car for an evening out. Car accidents are, after all, the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers. But what can parents do in order to permit their teens to still be free to do their activities while not endangering themselves or passengers? After all, isn’t one of the benefits of your teen getting a driver’s license that the teenager no longer has to depend on you to drive him or her everywhere?

There are steps parents can take to help reduce the likelihood of accidents, such as driver’s ed, curfews so the teens don’t drive during dangerous times, and reminding the teens of safety issues. The “little” things like wearing a seat belt or speeding can make a huge difference in a teen’s life.

But even despite your precautions, what happens if your son decides to take some of his friends out for pizza, and the peer pressure makes your son want to show off rather than follow your instructions? Just a little bit of speeding, and your son and his friends might end up in the hospital, or even the morgue. Or what if your daughter decides to sneak out after curfew? How will you know to stop her until it’s too late?

Teenage Drivers & GPS

GPS tracking is one option parents can use to help ensure the safety of their teenage drivers. When a car is equipped with a GPS tracking unit, the unit will monitor the car’s activities. Parents can get a report of their teen’s driving activities so that they know how fast the teen has been driving or if the teen has been out after curfew. While this won’t stop teens from unsafe driving, it can alert parents to problem areas that need to be addressed. Better yet, some GPS tracking units will even alert the parent via a text message, email, or phone call the instant the car exceeds a certain speed or is driven during restricted hours, allowing you to stop the problematic behavior immediately and hopefully prevent an accident.

Driving is an important part of your teens’ lives, and of course you want to give them the freedom to drive themselves around – so long as they’re safe. If you add GPS tracking to your other precautions, such as education and curfews, you can help ensure that your teens are not another accident statistic.

Is Tracking Your Children an Invasion of Privacy?

January 28th, 2010

By Harriette Halepis

As soon as the first GPS tracker hit the shelves parents began tracking their children. Some parents simply wanted peace of mind that a child would not be abducted walking home from school, while other parents used the devices as a means of “technological parenting.”

GPS & Children

While many people argue that tracking a child is an invasion of that child’s privacy, it should be noted that many children have been saved thanks to GPS trackers. When a child is tracked via GPS, police can locate that child following abduction. Contrastingly, children who are not equipped with GPS trackers have very little hope of being found.

Still, many people wonder if attaching a GPS tracker to a child is akin to spying on children. In one way, parents who use GPS trackers are spying on their children – but, is this such a bad thing? Children under the age of 18 are generally gullible, innocent, and entirely trusting, which is why it’s relatively easy for a kidnapper to coax a child into a vehicle or away from other children.

When parents are keeping a watchful eye on children, the likelihood that a kidnapper will be able to abduct a child is lowered. Of course, kidnapping is still possible, but parents can quickly pinpoint the exact location of a kidnapper with the help of a GPS.

Some will argue that a parent/child relationship should be built upon trust, but at what age? While parents may want teenagers to trust them, far too many teens have run away from home never to be seen from again. Would these teens have been returned to their parents if they were wearing GPS tracking devices at the time they decided to run away?

On the flip side, there’s no doubt that some overprotective parents may attempt to track a child’s every move out of sheer anxiety. Likewise, some parents may rely too heavily upon GPS trackers to monitor children without building a relationship with children. However, both of these scenarios are extreme, and, therefore, only apply to a select group of people.

Another question that has been raised frequently is whether or not children have any real privacy rights. After all, how can a parent expect to protect a child if they are unaware of a child’s actions? Children who are granted too much privacy often wind up in troublesome situations. In the end, there is no clear cut answer to the question: is tracking your children an invasion of privacy?

GPS and Truancy

January 27th, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

A couple summers ago, I interned with a local family court. There were a number of juveniles who came through the court during my internship who were being charged with truancy. A few times, their parents were brought into the system, too, because they were under a court order to ensure that their kids got to school and the kids still weren’t attending classes. Sometimes the juveniles didn’t go to school because their parents didn’t bother to make them, but sometimes the kids would refuse to get up or would even get on the bus and then get off someplace else, making their parents’ efforts useless.

GPS & Truancy

For parents who are concerned about their children’s education attendance, or who could even be facing jail time if their children do not attend school, a new option may turn out to be especially helpful. Some students in Texas who are also frequent visitors to truancy court have been testing GPS monitoring, which allows that the court to ensure that the students are attending classes as ordered.

The GPS monitoring devices, which are about the size of a cell phone, can track the juveniles’ location and allow the truancy court officials to determine whether or not the individuals attended classes as required. If they drop out of the program or leave the devices at home, the juveniles can face jail time for contempt of a court order. Apparently the threat is working, because the program is reporting a 98% attendance rate for students on the program, and a continued 97% attendance rate for those who finished.

GPS monitoring can be a help both to the student, encouraging him or her to attend classes and graduate, and to the parent, who no longer has to worry about trying to force a child to attend classes and to risk jail time if the child skips classes despite the parent’s efforts. For family or truancy courts, a GPS device can help provide the answer by giving a case worker the ability to closely monitor a juvenile and to strongly encourage him or her to attend classes as ordered without having to follow the juvenile around each day.

During my internship, I saw many concerned and frustrated parents and social workers. Without the ability to more closely monitor a juvenile and ensure school attendance, chronic truancy sometimes couldn’t be stopped. GPS monitoring, however, provides the necessary supervision and is apparently helping truant students redirect their lives and start attending classes again.