Posted on 11/22/2002 10:48:29 AM PST by Libloather
Device Can Help Parents Keep Track Of Teen Drivers
Fri Nov 22, 7:22 AM ET
Do you know where your teen driver is right now or how fast he or she may be going?
NewsChannel5's Joe Pagonakis reported that a local company is helping parents answer those important questions with a device called the "Teen Trak."
Last year, 4,600 U.S. teens ages 16 to 18 died behind the wheel of a vehicle. But what if parents could keep tabs on their teens' whereabouts, their driving habits, and even their speed, via the Internet? It could clue parents in on potential dangers.
Tele-Trak Inc. of Cleveland created the Teen Trak, a transceiver that mounts in a teen's car. Parents can instantaneously find their young driver's location by logging on.
"Basically, you get the last position, which gives you the current position of the vehicle, what speed it's traveling at the time, and what direction (it's) traveling at," said Ron Lauber, of Tele-Trak Inc.
Global positioning system satellite tracking gives parents specific information on their teen driver.
"Any of these red arrows are where he exceeded our 65 mph speed limit, and as we can see here, he's going 70 mph at this point in time," Lauber said.
"(It) helps teach new drivers the right way to drive, and (it) really give parents peace of mind, so that they know where their kids are and know what's going on out there," said Matt Brett, of Tele-Trak Inc.
Edward Waters, of Beachwood, Ohio, is one parent who installed Teen Trak in his son's 2000 Oldsmobile Alero. His son will take the wheel when he turns 16 on Saturday.
"Car crashes are the leading cause of death in teenagers, so it's a scary thing for a parent, and the financial responsibility for teen drivers is tremendous," he said.
Not only does Teen Trak tell parents the location, direction and speed of their teen driver, but it also keeps a log of their travels for up to a week, which means parents can actually chart their driving habits.
Teen Trak costs $299 if you buy the unit, and $10 a month if you rent it. The monthly subscription service charge is anywhere from $15 to $20 a month.
A small tip to any philanderers out there – never borrow the kid’s car…
You mean he didn't invent this too?
Wonder if a certain North Carolina Senator will pick up on this and require its use in cars. Heck our cars are already full of equipment pushed for by this person and not needed to be a 'safe' driver. Might as well throw this in with the airbags too since we're already planning to drug tests teens before they can get their driver's license
LOL! I worked with kids in fast food for 11 years. I've seen managers cover for the kids on the phone with lies. I've had kids ask me to cover for them. A manager once chewed me out for being honest to parents. Take it from someone who has seen a river of wasted youth no matter how much the parents cared, this is a good thing to consider. The freedom to drive a car is a powerful and dangerous thing to entrust a hormone-charged kid in a predatory world with slick drug pushers. FReegards....
We survived. Our parents survived. Their parents survived. The biggest threats to my young life were President Johnson and Secretary of Defense McNamera.
When a young lady is sweet talked into trying pot and gets pregnant, does her unborn child survive? Cross your fingers buddy. Or maybe the joint is laced. Then she becomes an addict and starts robbing from her parents. Or maybe she gets aides. But none of that is important. It's the freedom a 16 year old kid should have behind the wheel.
I cherish freedom for adults. But parents should not be discouraged one bit from wanting to keep track of their kids. When the kid hits 18 and owns his or her own car, then it's their turn to be free.
I worked with a company that chose to install some devices like this years ago - they could tell where the vehicles were, how fast they drove etc.
Your state senator will probably argue for it. :o(
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