I’m sure you’ve seen the signs on the back of trucks that ask, “How’s My Driving?”, followed by a number you can call to report unsafe driving practices. If you have a teen driver, you can purchase bumper stickers that ask, “How’s My Kid’s Driving?”. HowsMyKidDriving.org , a New Jersey-based company, is just one of many companies that offer these bumber stickers.
Like many of the other companies that offer this type of service, parents place the bumper stickers on their child’s car. Other drivers can make an anonymous call to a toll-free number and give the driver’s ID code. Parents receive recorded message via e-mail. The cost of these services range from about $20 a month to just under a hundred dollars. Other companies that offer similar services include: www.ReportMyteen.com, www.Howsmyteendriving.net and www.teenarrivealive.com.
In addition to bumper stickers, some companies also offer global positioning systems and black boxes that alerts parents to the exact location of their child’s vehicle. Some companies also offer satellite navigation software that will allow a parent to locate their child’s Nextel cell phone and if the cell phone is in a moving car, parents can not only tell the direction the car is moving in but the speed.
Such measures, as you might expect, can cause friction between the parent and the child. Not to mention teasing from peers. But in the end all that matters is keeping your teens safe. Especially given the high rate of teen deaths from vehicle crashes. In 2002, among 16-to 19-year-olds, 41% of all deaths were motor-related. Parents also need to be aware of who their kids are riding with a passenger. In 2004, 62% of teenage passenger deaths happened when another teen was driving.
I have ten years before Tyler will be eligible to drive, still this is an issue that is important to all parents, myself included. Hopefully by the time I have to really worry about this issue, someone will have figured out a way to make driving safer— for all of us.
Related blogs:
To All Parents With Teen Drivers
The Dangers of Trunking