It is a fear that every parent with a 16 year-old son or daughter knows very well: the first driver’s license. Gone are the days of worrying about your toddler toppling into a coffee table. The worries now extend to concrete bridge abutments, tractor trailers, and immature decision-making. “I wish they could pad all the roads” and similar thoughts have crossed the minds of millions of parents across the U.S. Unfortunately, advances in science and technology have not been able to convert concrete to goose feathers, but with new advances in Global Positions Systems (GPS), Teen Tracking may help our teenage captains of the road make safer decisions while driving.

Numerous studies and statistics prove that teen drivers are four times more likely to get into a car crash than any other age group. It has become a consistent, tragic trend that each year more than 5,000 teens die in car crashes. Speed, inexperience, juvenile judgment, and peer distraction or pressures are some proven causes contributing to the high crash rate among teens. All of these factors can be summed up with two words – immature brain. Nevertheless, state governments deem 16 year-olds to be “of age” to obtain a valid driver’s license.

The question remains, if teenagers have immature brains resulting in a higher risk of being involved in a serious car crash, what can be done to ensure the safety of teens and others sharing the roadways? Many governments in Europe and other parts of the world have set the minimum driving age at 18 or older, but for various reasons the U.S. is unlikely to raise the driving age any time soon. An emerging option to help mitigate the risks associated with the immature driving is to have GPS Teen Tracking systems installed into each car driven by teens.

Global Positioning Systems have many different functions and versatile applications for owners. A GPS Teen Tracking system can help parents track the speed of the car, distance driven, driving patterns, and even seatbelt usage. While the function of recording will not stop a teen from dangerous behaviors, per se, the awareness that driving actions are being monitored and recorded should cause the teen driver to think twice. In this sense, the presence of the GPS Teen Tracking system will serve as a psychological restraint on his or her behavior, rather than a physical restraint. Teenage drivers will be aware that parents are able to track their actions by the GPS alerts available online or sent via email or text message. If a teen is caught speeding or driving recklessly, parents will have the data needed to restrict driving privileges and assert other appropriate measures. In the teen world, that means social suicide – something no teenager is willing to risk.

Detractors from the program will argue that even with GPS Teen Tracking system in place, safe driving and judgment calls will still be in the hands of the teen drivers. Furthermore, teenagers themselves resist the idea as an invasion of their privacy. However, with education and new, safer habits, teenagers will be more conscious of abiding driving laws and safety standards. As a parent’s eyes and ears, GPS Teen Tracking system and its psychological influence will ultimately help abate the risk of teen crashes, which society as a whole and teenagers in particular should understand is a step in the right direction.

There are already several companies advocating the usage of GPS for tracking teen driving behaviors. In order to market GPS as a safety system, businesses have the option of pursuing multiple approaches. First, a company could launch a “Pilot Program” involving volunteer parents and their teenagers to test the Teen Tracking system and study the real time effects of using GPS to monitor teen driving. The program would produce hard evidence and statistics bolstering the idea of how GPS systems help to reduce teen crashes. Second, insurance companies might be willing to offer deductions from premiums for teenage drivers with a GPS in the car, similar to the “good grades” premium deduction. A deduction on insurance costs would appeal to parents and any teen responsible for his or her driving costs. Third, a legislative solution could produce vehicle standards that require cars driven by teenagers to have GPS installed. Numerous well-recognized not-for-profit organizations would likely advocate and market GPS for teenaged drivers, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups that continue to push public solutions for the dangers associated with driving and bad judgment.

GPS cannot end the tragic consequences of risky driving the way padding the roads with goose feathers might. But GPS Teen Tracking systems can add a relatively low-cost tool for parents and teenagers to mitigate the risks of teen crashes and in the process, save money, worries and lives.

Written by: Danielle Goss, Discrete Wireless