Let’s Talk About Teen Driver Safety
Every parent has a panic feeling when their teenage child passes their driving test. The greatest fear for the parent is waving their child off the drive way and having no mechanism to guide them or monitor their progress. Research shows that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among the American teens, apart from drugs and cancer. In fact, clear statistics show that six teens aged between 16 – 19 years old die every day from motor vehicle injuries. The main cause of these deaths is lack of courage, inexperience, and poor judgment coupled with their natural tendency to behave impulsively. Fortunately, many of these car crashes can be reduces and/or avoided if constructive measures are taken into account. Every parent is concerned about the safety status of their children and want to ensure their children drive safely.
What Causes Teen Driver Accidents?
Statistics predict that in the US, one in four crash fatalities involve someone who is between 16 – 24 years old. Here are the most common causes of car accidents among teen drivers in the US:
- Parental Influence – Statistics show that a large number of teen drivers learn about driving from their parents. If the parent is a reckless driver, then there is a probability that the child too will be a reckless driver.
- Distractions – Many teen drivers say that they are distracted by the passengers and/or the pedestrians. Texting and driving is also causing a shocking number of accidents and death among teen drivers in the US. They can distract the drivers’ attention and before they know it, an accident has already occurred.
- Speeding – A high number of teen drivers report driving way above the speed limit due to peer pressure and impulsive behavior. Research shows that half of teen drivers report knowing of others encouraging drivers to speed from time to time.
- Using Seat belt – A significant number of teen drivers don’t wear their seat belts at any time while driving. A high number of teens killed in an accident as either occupants or drivers of motor vehicles are unrestrained by their seat-belt.
- Substance Abuse – As we all know, teens are actually more likely than adults to drive while drunk. Their risk of an accident when drunk is above that of adult drivers.
GPS LEADERS Teen Driver GPS Tracking Devices
The first measure is to install a GPS LEADERS GPS Tracking Device in their vehicle. These devices have several features that can be of great use when curbing reckless driving. You are able to monitor the vehicle’s top speed and advice the teen driver accordingly. In their first year in of driving, teenagers are 10 times more likely to lose control due to high speeds and get involved in an accident than any other age group. Research shows that half of the teen drivers report driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit at least once in their life.
Parent can also use our telematics and GPS monitoring technology to get real time data about the teen driver’s whereabouts and on road performance. Our devices will help parents program a second key that communicates specific restrictions to the vehicle. This means that the parent can remotely disable the vehicles starter and thus restricting the movement of the vehicle and the hours of use.
Parents can also access vehicle data such as braking, acceleration and the speed when the vehicle is turning. Our GPS car tracking devices for teen drivers from www.gpsleaders.com are not meant to spy on your kid but to ensure they make safe choices while driving. This system can also notify the parent about the number of hours driven non-stop. You can hence be able to tell your daughter or son to take a rest before continuing with the journey.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Teen Driver Safety Features
There are many applications linked to the GPS car tracking system and your phone that can help in maintaining the concentration of your child when driving. Talk about CarPlay and Android Auto which supports certain safe driving practices by muting the audio and or turning the radio off to ensure that the teen driver concentrates on the task at hand. They also give audible and visual warnings when the driver is over speeding and gives the parents a chance to control the volume of the radio at the comfort of their house. Apple car play will also help discourage the teen from using their hand held phones while driving.
Despite inputting speed limits for certain types of road on urban rural-highways, if you detect that your son or daughter is driving recklessly, you can be able to stop the car ignition and get another driver to pick them. With the GPS tracking system, you can be able to create alerts that will instantly notify you of specific reckless driving actions such as overtaking, instant braking and cutting sharp corners unreasonably.
How To Further Improve Teen Driver Safety While In The Vehicle
Our Personal GPS Tracking Devices also offer teen drivers the ability to use a panic button in case of any problem. The parent will be notified immediately of a potential emergency that is dangerous to the kid and hence take adequate measures to rescue the driver. It is fitted in an open place in your car such as close to the doors, near the seat or any other convenient place for accessibility. If the teen driver is stuck in an emergency situation, met an accident, stranded in a remote area or if they got hijacked, they can ask for help by pushing the panic button. Installing GPS car trackers, means that you are concerned about the security of your family members and friends in your car against untold accidents. The first thing to do after installing this devices in your car, is to ensure that every member in the family knows where it is situated and how to use it in case of an emergency.
GPS technology is well known for its ability to provide right directions for travelers, recover lost properties and offer huge potential savings for the companies. These advantages of a GPS car tracker, though great, overshadow one of its features which is equally important in the modern world. The ability of the GPS car tracking system to make your children become better drivers. As soon as the teen driver realizes that they are tracked and monitored, they will drive safely. Together with enjoying their independence, they will ensure that they don’t disappoint their parents by reckless driving. If your teenage son or daughter just got their driving license and taken the family car for a spin, let them know that their behavior behind the wheel is monitored not just by the police officers but by the parents too. You can get all your GPS Tracking Services in California from GPS LEADERS.
There is no state that has laws strong enough to fully protect teen drivers. Therefore, the parents should set household rules about passengers, nighttime driving and use of cellphones while driving. There should be a well-structured agreement between the parent and the teen driver about how to carry themselves when driving. Talk to your children about the dangers of drug and alcohol use when driving. Make them aware that the law extremely discourages drinking under the age of 21 and therefore, they should feel privileged to be allowed to drive a car. Teach them about the speed limit and be a role model. A teen driver is inexperienced and should keep the speed below 60mph.
Survey shows that parents who demonstrate unsafe driving practices to their children end up passing these bad habits off to their children. Many of these adult drivers engage in aggressive driving, speeding, reckless overtaking among others especially when they go to pick their children from school. You may be tired or stressed but as a parent, you are required to set a good driving example to your children. A research from the National Safety Council shows that drivers model their driving conduct after what they observe in their parents. This means that parents are the primary role models, therefore they should be cautious with what they demonstrate to the children. If you talk endlessly on the phone while driving, drive aggressively, speed, send text messages, overtake recklessly, run red lights, and fail to come to a full stop, be sure that your children will do the same when they are out with the family car.
In order to lead by example, you need to avoid all forms of distractions when driving, establish a regular routine of adjusting the mirrors, and setting up the GPS system before hitting the road. Then teach your children how to avoid cell phone distractions by either switching your cell phone off or putting it on silent mode. Avoid giving excuses whenever you make a mistake while driving and teach your teen to be accountable for their own actions.