A 16 Year-Old Deserves to Live Another 70 Years
We’ve all seen this at one time or another along the side of the road: a cross or other distinguishable marker bearing a name and an inscription and usually surrounded by flowers. A curious motorist might think it unfortunate. For the parents of a teenager, however, the roadside shrine is an emotionally disturbing reminder of their child’s mortality.
Car crashes are the leading cause of permanent disability and death among teenage drivers in America and other industrialized nations throughout the world. In 2005, more than 7,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 20 were involved in fatal automobile accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Findings also indicate that each year, in North America alone, over 2.5 million teens will become new drivers. And each year, teens overall will be involved in over 9,000 driving related fatalities, taking not only their own lives, but those of passengers and pedestrians as well.
To any seasoned driver, this information comes as no surprise. Teens by nature succumb to peer pressure which invariably leads to risk taking, especially behind the wheel. While alcohol and drugs remain major contributors to teenage motor vehicle accidents, this new millennium has ushered in the additional distraction of cell phones and MP3 players.
“So how do I keep my teen from becoming one of these awful statistics?”
Parents could simply ground their teenager until she’s thirty or continue to play chauffeur and chaperone to her and her friends. A more practical solution, however, may lie in GPS technology. GPS (Global Positioning System) receives signals from 24 satellites that orbit the earth to pinpoint the precise location of a vehicle or asset within 2.5 meters. Used for decades by military, government and law enforcement agencies, GPS tracking is now accessible to individuals for their private, personal use. An affordable offshoot of GPS technology is the vehicle Tracking Key. At the starting price of $199.00, the GPS Tracking Key records driving data which can then be downloaded to a computer to be viewed at a later time. Parents of teenage drivers have found this device to be exceptionally useful in tracking where their teens have traveled, how fast they drove, where they stopped and for how long.
Even monitoring with the Tracking Key for just the first year of driving can significantly reduce the frequency of teen driver auto accidents. By identifying unsafe driving habits such as speeding, and by making teens accountable for their actions and whereabouts, GPS tracking enables parents to correct potential problems that put their kids at risk.
Is “Big Mother” Watching?
In parent/teen relationships, trust is always a factor. Some might argue that installing a GPS tracking device in their child’s vehicle undermines trust and threatens privacy. The majority of parents, however, found that installing this device with their teen’s knowledge has actually helped to instill more trust and bolster independence. And teenagers on an average found that they were rewarded with fewer restrictions and “nagging” questions about where they were going and when they would return.
Teen tracking systems offer a convenient, affordable way for parents to enjoy some peace of mind and for teens to exercise responsibility while they’re behind the wheel. And possibly add another 70 years to their lives.
To learn more about the GPS Tracking Key and other vehicle tracking solutions, visit www.landairsea.com.
Tags: Statistic, Teen Driving, Teen Tracking
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