Technology to Help Improve Teen Driving
Cell Phone Lock – programs are available that will lock a cell phone while a car is in motion. Using the cell phone’s GPS, once the phone reaches a certain speed the program locks the phone so that calls and texts cannot be made or received.
“Black Box” – these data collecting devices can be used to track speed, distance driving and location. This information is recorded and can be downloaded by a parent later. Also, this technology can be set so that alerts are sent to parents when a teen exceeds a certain speed limit or drives too far.
TIWI – a product that alerts parents when a teen speeds, neglects to wear a seatbelt, drives outside of a range set by parents, or drives to aggressively. The system also alerts the teen driver of these issues by voicing the unsafe driving habit, and repeats the warning until the teen address the unsafe behavior.
Mini Camera – a small camera that records the vehicle, including audio, when unsafe driving occurs, including speeding, hard braking or swerving.
It can be said that these technologies show a lack of trust by parents, but teen drivers’ safety should be the biggest concern. The hope is that such devices prevent teens from getting into car accidents.