Teen Surveillance Using GPS Tracking: Is it Justified?
WOODSTOCK (Friday, March 20, 2009) – With the rapid expansion of Global Positioning System (GPS tracking) technologies, comes an often-repeated debate : security versus spying.
The newest gadgets are often compact, discreet and highly-sensitive vehicle tracking devices that – with the help of a constellation of 24 U.S. Department of Defense satellites – can record as many as 300 hours of driving data, including route, speed and duration of stops. Others open a window to that same information in real time, second by second, via the Internet.
But who has the right to ride invisible shotgun on someone’s personal car trips?
As demographics go, parents are one of the biggest groups investing in GPS tracking technologies and their teens are the tracking subjects.
Knowing they’re safe brings peace of mind
Security. That is the simple, but also most common reason why customers buy vehicle tracking devices. Teen drivers are experiencing a new level of independence. Statistics show that this is a time when limits can be tested. Car insurance rates are at their highest for people in their teens and early 20s. According the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America.
With a GPS tracking system attached to a vehicle, parents have the ability to learn whether their child has developed bad driving habits, or is bending the household rules. Furthermore, the devices give parents the opportunity and the justification to intervene and counsel their teens, before the behaviors lead to a tarnished driving record or more dire consequences.
Does monitoring mean mistrust?
The flip side of the debate often includes the words “spying” or “snooping.” Some teenagers resent parental monitoring while they are driving for business, school or leisure. They perceive GPS tracking as a form of intrusion, at a time when, presumably, they have done nothing wrong.
Spying suggests secretive behavior. Vehicle tracking devices are designed so that they may be hidden inside or outside the car. Some situations might warrant concealment of the receiver, but certainly many parents do not choose to go that route. The majority of parents are not buying vehicle tracking devices with the sole intent to confront or interrogate their children. They are honest and open with their children about the device and its purpose.
The power and ability to track teens can be abused. Some adults might go beyond the norm to track their teen’s whereabouts. GPS data downloads and real-time vehicle trackers are known to include great detail. But the information is secure and controlled by the user.
We have much less control over visual and audio systems that record us elsewhere, all day long. Except for a little red light or indicator beep, we rarely think about, but have come to expect, our voice or image being recorded dozens of times a day on the phone, in the convenience store, at the train station or approaching our car in a shopping mall.
GPS tracking can be viewed as two sides of a coin. Yes, it gives a parent or guardian the ability to keep tabs on a child’s driving and safety. It could be viewed as a way to curb freedoms for those who make poor choices; or greater freedom and trust for those who prove they can handle the responsibility in a mature way. Some parents might reward their teens with a longer curfew or a new car if the GPS tracking report proves they are good drivers.
Pay to play
Many parents choose to inform their teens that the GPS tracking device is installed and active. After all, it’s very likely that teen’s vehicle, his cell phone and car insurance are paid by the parent. If the teen gets a ticket for a moving violation or has an accident in the family vehicle, the parents likely will be paying the financial consequences.
Trustworthy and responsible teens should have no reason to object to GPS tracking devices, which would only prove those merits. And when devices are disconnected or lost, there’s little question who should be under suspicion and why.
Some auto insurance companies have become believers in communications systems that monitor teen driving. Some offer discounts on premiums when the reports indicate a safe driving record.
Merely knowing that there is a vehicle tracking device mounted in the family car might make a teen driver more careful. Doesn’t everyone drive with more caution when they see a police cruiser in the rear- view mirror?
Tags: GPS Tracking, Justification, Teen Tracking
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