GPS Tracking

Just in Time for the Holiday Rush

As the popular Christmas song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” This song is a staple of the Holiday Season. We hear it on the radio, on T.V. commercials, and especially in the malls as the yearly shopping season begins. There’s just something about this classic song that reminds us that Christmas is near.

It’s the time of the year for eggnog, mistletoes, Santa Claus, and of course, lots of presents. It’s the time of the year when shoppers hit malls and department stores in order to find that perfect gift for their precious loved ones.

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Study on Teens and Car Accidents

In a recent study conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), 68% of teens said they had narrowly avoided a crash, and more than half had experienced more than one close call in the past year. More than 2,000 students in 28 high schools were surveyed for this study, which was released on June 13.

Of those who said that they had a close call, 55% blamed other drivers or the weather. However, when asked as to what was happening during the exact time of that close call, 30% of teens said they were speeding, 21% said they were texting and 20% said they were talking to passengers in the car.

A similar study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance in April, found that when crashes occurred because of an error made by a teen, 20% of the time distracted driving was to blame (texting, mp3 players, passengers, etc.). The study also found that speeding was responsible for 21% of crashes in which teens were at fault. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens are four times more likely to get into accidents than older drivers. About 3,000 teens died in auto accidents in 2009, and according to to CDC estimates,roughly 350,000 were treated for injuries.

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Any parent knows that the experience of children transitioning from adolescence to teenage years is often difficult. It is not uncommon to want to control many of our children’s decisions during this period as we experienced these events ourselves many years ago. It may also reflect the fact that we just do not want to let go. Regardless of the strain between parents and their independence-seeking teenage children, the underlying fact is that parents are concerned for their safety and welfare.

With all the growing pains, all parents fear the dreaded driver’s license. This event is inevitable but parents now have a unique tool to ensure their child is responsible behind the wheel. Teen tracking using GPS technology provides a level of security from the comfort of home using a computer and internet access. GPS tracking captures and transmits time, position, and speed just seconds apart to a central web browser. Several GPS tracking companies overlay the live and historical positions over high resolution satellite images such as Google Maps®. This makes the tracking experience easy to follow and intuitive.

Since speed is a major concern, alerts can be sent as a text message or email when a user-defined violation occurs. In addition to speed, location alerts also provide notification of arrival and departure. Even if you do not have access to a computer or are out of town, GPS tracking devices can notify you when your child arrives at school, home, etc. This provides a simple and logical solution for less than a cup of cheap coffee per day. Teen tracking continues to grow in popularity and even provides a financial benefit. Many insurance companies recognize GPS tracking devices as a theft recovery solution and offer a policy discount.

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“Up to 10 over the limit and you’re good.”

Most people, when they were new teen drivers, remember hearing that sage advice from adults more experienced behind the wheel. The rationale was that a police officer wouldn’t bother to pull you over for speeding unless you were flagrantly breaking the law. That 10 mph bracket presented too many possibilities of legal challenge.

Well, apparently the sour economy is to blame for one more shift in American behavior: Cops have stopped giving wiggle room.

Drivers who tend to lean a little heavy on the accelerator should expect to find themselves in court more frequently, according to the National Motorists’ Association. The Waunakee, WI group was formed in 1982 to help everyday Joes find speed traps and fight speeding tickets.

“Police are definitely less tolerant of speeders today,” said James Baxter, president. “Our chances of getting away with a warning are very slim. Often motorists are being ticketed for violations of only a few miles an hour.” (more…)

GPS Tracking Promotes Responsibility in Teen Driving

If children came with instruction manuals, parents could be more confident that the decisions they make on their behalf are good ones. Now we learn once again that choosing to spank your toddler is ill-advised.

The May issue of the magazine “Pediatrics” summarizes a recent survey from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. More than 2,000 mothers of three-year-olds were asked if they spanked their toddlers, and if so, how often in the past month.

Those same moms were asked if their children exhibited any aggressive behaviors such as bullying, striking out against other children, destructive tendencies and cruelty.

It turns out that half of the mothers surveyed did not practice corporal punishment. Twenty-five percent had swatted their child once or twice within the past month and another 25 percent admitted they had done it more than twice in the time frame.

A definite link was found between physically-punished tots and the above stated antisocial behaviors. What apparently made this study different is that other contributors to children’s aggressive behaviors such as parent neglect and drug abuse were factored out because the moms were pre-screened.

It seems nothing more than a confirmation of what we should already know. The American Academy of Pediatrics has, for years, taken the position that striking a child for any reason is wrong.

So what is the alternative to physical discipline?

Doctors say, with the little ones, time outs and reward systems are effective. No matter a child’s age, the experts said that adults should promote good behavior and withdraw privileges for bad choices.

This approach needs to be reinforced through the teen years. Sticker charts and forced time alone for reflection won’t work when the child is bigger than the parent. But elders can treat young people like adults until they prove they cannot be trusted.

Vehicle tracking systems are one way parents can manage their teens without physically dominating their lives. A car is the solution to every teen’s desire for freedom and independence. Teen driving privileges can be granted (along with established ground rules) and removed if the responsibility is not taken seriously.

Car accidents are the number one killer of teens. Driver’s education classes and experience are not the only preventatives. Hundreds of thousands of parents are buying GPS tracking devices, finding a good position in the family vehicle for placement, and keeping records of where their teens drive, when they drive, where they stop and how fast they are driving.

Many parents are up-front with their teens about the real-time GPS tracking devices, or passive GPS tracking systems placed in their vehicles. The right to drive is granted, with vehicle tracking as a condition.

GPS tracking makes young people accountable for the decisions they make behind the wheel. Parents should make it clear to them that they are expected to operate a vehicle, that by rights is not theirs, with respect and safety in mind.

Source: WebMD

The news that Munchkin Coroner Meinhardt Raabe died April 9 had many fans of “The Wizard of Oz” taking a walk down Memory Lane once again.

Raabe, originally from Wisconsin, was just 23 years old when he appeared, uncredited, in the award-winning film. He died at age 94 in his home in Orange Park, FL.

The Munchkin Coroner, with his cape and curly-brimmed hat, appeared in all his royal blue splendor in one of the first color scenes of the 1939 movie. He sang the declaration that the Wicked Witch of the East was dead. He was one of the many memorable characters that young Dorothy Gale met in her search for a better world “Over the Rainbow.”

The film, based on a L. Frank Baum book, won two Oscars and is an indelible part of our childhoods. It’s hard to believe that the fantasy story first hit the screen seven decades ago.

Because it was one of the few Munchkin roles with a speaking part, Mr. Raabe’s character became a pop culture figure. The image is as memorable as Toto, the Flying Monkeys, The Emerald City and the Yellow Brick Road. (more…)

Texting on one’s cell phone is a form of social networking that is astoundingly popular. Anyone still doubting this point need only read news from the Oxford University Press.

In mid November the publisher announced its top candidates for 2009 Word of the Year.

In the Top 5:

·         Intexticated: Texting on a cell phone and driving at the same time, to the point of dangerous distraction.

Clever; maybe even a little funny. But the truth is that texting and driving is very serious business. A study from the Virginia Technical Transportation Institute showed that texting and driving resulted in a greater chance of crashing – greater than driving drunk!

If the federal government has its way, this bad habit will soon be illegal in every state in the U.S. Driving laws are generally left for the individual states to decide. But to nudge them in the right direction, the feds are considering holding back highway funds until the states comply.

Texting while driving is banned in 14 states. President Barack Obama recently pushed through a law that banned all federal employees from texting and driving. So it’s a matter of time before the campaign goes national. (more…)

Incident Proves Danger of Teen Driving Distractions

A Tampa Bay paper reported that a 17-year-old girl, skipping school and out on a joy ride with friends, got into trouble when she ran into a police officer – literally.

The teen driver apparently became distracted while texting and bore down on the back end of a patrol car.

Texting has officially become more popular than cell phone calls. In fact, it’s been stomping the competition for a couple of years now. Nielsen Mobile, a communications research firm associated with The Nielsen Company, said U.S. wireless subscribers average 357 texts a month, versus 204 phone calls.

Nielsen looked at the wireless bills of a volunteer sample of 50,000 subscribers and noted activities such as text messages, favorite games and ringtones.

The numbers get more interesting when Nielsen shows results by age group. Teens, ages 13 to 17, send or receive 1,742 texts per month; more than any other age category. (The next-closest age group, ages 18-24, was far behind. They averaged 790 texts a month.) Put that statistic behind 4,000 pounds of speeding steel, glass and gasoline, and you’ve got trouble waiting to happen.

That Florida teen driving disaster should feel lucky she got away with only $3,000 in damage, a ticket, and probably a good grounding from her parents.

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When a consumer is researching Global Positioning System (GPS tracking) technology, the question of legality often is raised. Can drivers’ whereabouts be logged without notification? If they are notified, is their consent required?

The laws on vehicle tracking might differ from state to state, and so might any individual’s interpretation of them. The majority of companies selling vehicle tracking systems advise that the buyer seek legal counsel and/or consult local authorities about the devices. Ultimately, the user is responsible for its appropriate use.

Under most circumstances, GPS tracking is permitted with the consent of the vehicle’s registered owner. This covers two of the most common scenarios for using GPS tracking systems: In small businesses and private households.

Business and fleet management

Companies lose money each year due to poor productivity. Anyone who has ever managed a workplace will agree that people find ways to make company rules and policies work more to their advantage.

Executives are getting serious about uncovering policy-abusers, and they feel more comfortable when they have GPS data as evidence against lawsuits or investigations that result from a termination, reported the “2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey,” (conducted by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute.)
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Concerned parents place a vehicle tracking system on there son’s truck and find shocking results. When Donna and Glen decided that they would place a GPS tracking system on there 16 year-old son’s truck they did not know what to expect. Feeling that today’s world was much more dangerous then the one they grew up in, Donna and Glen placed a GPS Tracking Key, a GPS tracking system that monitors speed and stops, on there typical teen’s car and then reviewed the historical data together. With less than 72 hours worth of data, they discovered that there son not only went to a unsupervised drinking party, but he also drove at dangerous speeds close to 100mph!