Parents and Peace of Mind

What a misnomer, right?

For most parents, the hardest part of having a teenager old enough to drive is allowing them to drive on their own. Are they ready? Or bigger question…Are Mom and Dad ready?

Yes, they have had a year of supervised driving and are showing all the outward signs of a responsible driver, but some parents just can’t hand the keys over. Is there a way to give teens freedom of the open road while allowing parents to have some “backseat driver” control?

Absolutely! Now with GPS technology, parents get the peace of mind they need and teens get the opportunity to hit the road without mom and dad riding shot-gun. One product that many families are utilizing is called DashTrac. DashTrac is a small GPS tracking device that simply plugs into the OBDII port (located under most steering wheels). The web based interface makes it simple to track the vehicle in real time. Aside from simply knowing where vehicle is, DashTrac aids in monitoring safe driving habits by holding teens accountable for their driving actions. And that's not all!

Basic tracking, true speed, speed alerts, geofence alerts (set when the vehicle enters a pre-determined location ), history reports (breadcrumb trails) and even routine maintenance alerts are all at parent's finger tips. DashTrac is one of those products parents just can’t live without!

Distracted Driving?

Teens are known to be distracted BY EVERYTHNG. The radio, cell phones, dropping a cigarette, putting on make-up, fixing their hair, texting, cute member of the opposite sex walking down the sidewalk, chickens...

And there's the occasional bee flying in the car window. I remember that one myself. After 40 years of trying to convince him, my dad still doesn't believe I drove into a field because of a bee.

Truth is, nothing can keep teens from being distracted except physically riding in the car next to them - and even then, they'll tell you that YOU are distracting.

The next best step is knowing where they are, and paying attention to their overall driving behavior. You can coach behaviors that are risky and provide positive reinforcement when rules are followed.

DashTrac helps. Check out http://www.wheresmyteen.com/

Are You a Driving Role Model For Your Teen?

Are you teaching your teenager bad driving habits? I complain about my son all of the time, but this morning it hit me. I have contributed to the driving mess he is.

A recent survey sponsored by AAA and Seventeen magazine revealed that 86% of teens admit to driving while distracted. What amazed me were the distractions. Music, food and cell phones. Adults are no less guilty of the same, and I fear we have sent the wrong message to these kids from the very start. We are a generation of muli-taskers, and driving isn't a sacred single-task event.