Since a number of my blog readers have kids with a brand-new driver’s license, this guest post is timely. I’m happy to now have young adults. We survived the nerve-wracking teen driving stage. Twice. It’s a bittersweet time. I loved when my two children started driving because it made life easier, but I didn’t love the worry I felt, especially that first year. Deciding whether to install a tracking device to follow your new teen driver is a personal choice. We did so and it gave us peace of mind.
Teaching my son to drive back in 2012. A special and nervous time!
Second time around in 2016. It was just as special…and nerve-wracking the second time around!
Before you decide, it’s helpful to know what’s out there in tracking devices. When security expert, Ryan Hoban asked to write a guest post about GPS tracking devices for teenage drivers, it seemed fitting for this blog. Take a look at Ryan’s report and tracking device information. Wishing all the young drivers out there a safe road ahead.
Ryan says:
5 Reasons Why Concerned Parents Are Using Teen GPS Trackers
Image courtesy of Tracking System Direct, LLC
There is no guidebook to help parents know what to expect from the trials and tribulations of raising a teenager. For many parents, there is a sense of anxiety when a teenager forgets to call and check-in, when they leave town with friends, or when they simply walk out the door into the unpredictable world. These anxieties increase when a teen earns their driver’s license and the new freedoms that come with that privilege. Real concerns about distracted driving, speeding and other potential teen driving dangers have caused many parents to call on technology to help calm their nerves. What these concerned parents are doing is utilizing car tracking technology to make sure teen drivers are practicing safe driving habits. This article outlines the top 5 reasons why parents are using real-time GPS trackers to keep their teen drivers safe, and other helpful tips that can enhance safe teen driving!
- Teenager Is Speeding While Driving
According to the CDC, the number one cause of premature death among teenagers is traffic-related accidents, and one of the main causes of teen driving accidents is excessive speeding. When a parent uses a GPS vehicle tracker they can monitor speeding, giving them a simple way to shape the driving habits of their newly licensed teen driver. This is because a car GPS tracker can provide real time speed alerts to notify parents of the precise moment a teenager begins to drive too fast. The GPS data can easily be accessed from a parent’s mobile phone to make sure safe driving behaviors are being practiced. When parents have evidence provided by the vehicle’s GPS to see habitual incidents of excessive speeding, they can revoke a teen’s driving privileges or apply an alternative punishment for the potentially lethal behavior.
- Teen Is Not Telling The Truth
Oftentimes, teenagers will tell a parent that they will be going to a late-night movie or friends’ house for a sleepover when in reality they intend on going somewhere else like to a party. GPS vehicle tracking makes the days of teens lying about their whereabouts a thing of the past because a GPS device can monitor a teen’s car 24/7. This allows parents to know the exact real time location of where their teen is as well as get location updates on where they have been. Therefore, if a concerned parent ever becomes suspicious that their teen is somewhere they are not supposed to be they can easily access the location of their teen’s vehicle by going online and accessing the GPS data.
- Teen May Be Involved With Drugs Or Alcohol
With peer pressure tempting teens to experiment with drugs and alcohol, many parents fear that their teens will become entangled with the proverbial “bad crowd”. A parent’s top priority is keeping their loved ones safe and GPS tracking systems can help by recording information such as addresses arrived, departed, and every stop a teen driver made. When a live GPS tracker is on a teen’s vehicle a parent will always be aware of where a teen is located and who they are hanging out with.
- Reduce Car Insurance Premiums
Since teens lack driving experience and engage in “risky behaviors”, they have a tendency to have higher insurance premiums than other motorists. This is an additional benefit for parents who use driver monitoring tech because many car insurance companies now offer discounted insurance rates to teens whose vehicles are being monitored with real-time tracking.
- Theft-Recovery Devices
By using a teen driver monitoring device, parents can feel comfortable knowing that if their teen ever leaves the car keys in the ignition or has their vehicle stolen that it can be quickly recovered. This is because a GPS tracker for vehicles can enhance car safety by alerting parents if a teen’s car is ever stolen! The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently released a report stating that the decrease in auto-theft incidents over the past 10 years can be directly attributed to the increased use of real-time GPS tracking devices among consumers and businesses.
Best Teenage Driving Monitoring Devices
So, what are the best location tracking devices for teen driving safety? According to GPS Tracking Review, some of the best teen GPS trackers include SpaceHawk magnetic GPS tracker, Vyncs GPS, Brickhouse Security Spark Nano, MotoSafety GPS tracker, and the SpyTec GL300 GPS tracker. Each vehicle GPS tracker offers unique features that can record real-time location updates, harsh braking, idling time, and driving alerts such as if a teen is speeding. Parents should be aware that every real-time GPS car tracker will require activation fees and some form of data plan since GPS devices transmit data using cellular networks.
Conclusion
Image courtesy of Tracking System Direct, LLC
Driver safety is important for all motorists but even more important among newly licensed teenage drivers. Although parents will always have some small sense of fear about their teens, at least a car tracker can provide the exact location of a teen and how fast they are driving. This information might not seem like much, but as we outlined earlier in this article, it is information that can literally save a teen’s life.
About today’s guest writer:
Ryan Horban is a freelance writer and security expert who has over 10 years of experience in the GPS tracking industry.
