DriveSync For Teens

I'd love to see a law requiring that teens only be allowed to drive in cars with this installed.  There are so many tragic accidents involving teenage drivers in my area. I will never forget learning about the death of one of my former students. Driving on his own in the afternoon on his way home from school, going too fast, he went around a curve and lost control, smashing into a tree.  Granted, this device wouldn't have saved him, but if his parents had known he was speeding habitually, they could have taken away his driving privileges, or at least had a serious word with him and perhaps prevented his death. I remember speaking to his mother on the phone about him when he was in my class.  He goofed off in class and his grades were poor.  His mother said that he'd told her he was determined to bring up his science grade the next quarter.  So many kids say things like that, but so few follow through.  He did and brought himself from a D to a B. Good looking kid, smart and funny too. What a horrible shame.

Drive carefully. Big Mother may be watching.
A new electronic monitoring device for vehicles has hit stores and is being marketed to parents to keep track of not only where their teens take the family car, but also how.
    Similar to the "black box" used on airplanes, the device, called DriveSync, records when, where, how far, how fast and even how aggressively a vehicle is driven.
    "We're marketing this [to parents] as a communication and safety device," DriveSync spokeswoman Sandra MacDonald said. "There are mixed reviews from the teenagers, but the parents are saying, 'Hey, I bought the car, I pay for the insurance, this is the way it's going to be.' "
    The device, about the size of a car stereo, is mounted on the dashboard, floorboard or elsewhere inside a vehicle. It is connected to the car's electronic diagnostic system, which powers the device, and is designed to be installed without professional help.
    Driving data is tracked using global positioning system technology and recorded on a receiver inside the device. Data such as trip logs, route maps and usage alerts can be viewed on a password-protected Web site.

... Several insurance companies are testing the product and are considering offering discounts of 10 percent to 25 percent for drivers who use the device, the company says. Company officials declined to say which North American insurance companies are interested.
    A call for information to the Insurance Information Institute wasn't returned.
    Teens may not be thrilled about having their driving habits monitored. But the company says the device actually may help reduce the peer pressure that leads to reckless driving.
    "It's more of a deterrent that allows teens to get out of that peer pressure model where you have five kids in a car telling the driver to gun daddy's 340-horsepower engine," Ms. MacDonald said. "They can just say, 'Look, I've got this thing in the car -- can't.' "
    If the system is tampered with, a yellow light will blink. And if the unit is disconnected, no data will be recorded -- another warning signal to parents.

Some people see drawbacks involved with privacy issues.  I say, so what:

Privacy advocates worry that insurance companies could require car owners with electronic monitoring devices to turn over the system's data or risk having their rates increase or their policies canceled. Or that law-enforcement agencies or government agencies could demand access.
    A teenager with poor driving habits captured by electronic monitoring devices could have difficulty later on obtaining his own insurance policy.
    "This could create some privacy concerns or other unforeseen consequences," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. "Consumers need to have much more control over their personal data."

She goes on:

Besides, Ms. Coney added, monitoring systems are no substitute for good parenting.
    "Some parents might think it's easier to buy the technology than actually deal with a problem that a child has, " she said. "Surveilling them may not be a better answer."

Of course it's not "the answer."  It just provides handy information.  If a teen does not drive within the speed limit, their driving privileges should be taken away.  By the government or by parent.

Save their lives, save the lives of the people who are involved in their accidents.  I think it's a great idea.