Tracking Teens With GPS -- Worth Every Penny

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/0xjus)
Article Written by Greg Bartlett

It’s every parent's worst nightmare. Your teen is driving. You panic. Suddenly, everything you ever thought you believed about providing a child with independence and responsibility goes out the window. You think of the strictest rules possible. No driving after five. No driving by yourself except with explicit permission. If you do end up driving by yourself, check in every ten minutes. But do these types of rules do your child good? And are the really helpful to your relationship with your teen and to his or her own growth and development? If not, what alternatives does a parent have for keeping a teen driver safe? GPS tracking may be the answer to keeping teens safe.

With teen driver fatality rates rising, a solution is needed. Alabama, for example, is currently trying to solve the problem through increasingly strict laws regarding drivers under 18. However, what if these laws fail? Or what if your teenager doesn’t follow them and ends up in an accident? What can you, the parent, do to ensure their safety and well-being?



Consider GPS tracking devices. These devices allow parents to monitor where their teen is, what stops he may have made, and what traffic laws he may be breaking. Notifications can be sent to the parents cell phone or email. Also, some of these devices have voice recordings which warn teen drivers when they’ve broken a traffic law.

Of course, no electronic device can replace your parental care and attention. Yes, they can help, but teens need you, not GPS tracking devices, to teach them good driving skills. However, the devices can assist your teen in situations where you can’t go. In addition, they provide your teen with added accountability. What teen will consistently break the speed limit if mom gets a text message on her cell phone every time? And, in the end, although teens may initially rebel against restrictions, the devices can open up communication and encourage deeper trust between parent and child.

For those parents with teen drivers, don’t hesitate to consider GPS technology. Sure, you may be afraid of upsetting a teen. Or the expense of the devices may not seem worth it. However, all that hassle, fear of disapproval, and expense will seem worth it when a GPS tracking device saves your child’s life.