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Parents In The Driver's Seat With Teens

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 21, 2007

A set of car keys may be the ticket to freedom for many young people, but recent automobile crashes involving Pasco County high school students, mostly notably in Wesley Chapel, are painful reminders of the risks associated with inexperienced drivers.

For parents, technology provides viable options - and reasons for concern.

On the negative side, young, inexperienced drivers can be easily distracted in their cars by cell phones, video players, handheld audio devices and increasingly powerful stereo systems. Of course, parents can always take away these objects or purchase vehicles without some of these features.

On the positive side, 'how's my driving' services are available that register vehicles and provide stickers containing telephone numbers. If motorists see a driver in a registered vehicle driving irresponsibly, they can call the number, and parents are notified by e-mail or phone.

Some companies sell 'little black boxes' similar to devices on many airplanes. These devices are mounted under the dash and set to monitor speed, fast acceleration and extreme braking. Limits can be set. For example, if a driver exceeds a certain speed, an alarm goes off in the vehicle.

This information allows a parent to know how their child is driving, but it's up to the parent to lay down the law should the results be unacceptable.

One service, Teen Arrive Alive, also offers the ability to track subscribers' vehicles through Global Positioning Systems if subscribers have compatible cell phones. This type of monitoring, though, is only good for letting you know young drivers' locations - not whether they drove responsibly to get there.

While such services and devices have the capability of saving lives, parents shouldn't forget they're the ones capable of being the most influential.

Talk to your children about driving and instill in them safe habits. Anytime your child is in the car or truck, always take the opportunity to point out irresponsible drivers and bad habits and explain why attention must always be paid to the road. It also helps to drive with them as much as possible and take a safe-driving course together.

More importantly, don't hesitate to take away the keys and be a chauffeur again if you witness your child driving irresponsibly or learn about it from another source, technological or human. The freedom to drive may be the most effective tool to reinforce the need for safety.

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