Ensure That Your Teen is Driving Safely

There are good reasons why increasing numbers of parents have chosen to monitor teen drivers. Teen drivers, especially male teen drivers, are an extremely high risk group. While parents want to believe their children when they tell them that they are driving safely, it is not always wise to do so. Too many parents have lost children to fatal automobile accidents to be complacent about teen driving. To monitor your teen driver is to extend the parental guidance that you have given them in other areas of their life to their driving.

Monitoring Systems Improve Teen Driving Safety

Teenagers feel that driving monitoring systems are an invasion of their privacy. To an extent, they are. A monitoring system will alert you of any reckless driving on their part. A driving monitoring system will tell you if they have been driving at excessive speeds. These are all things that your teenager would like to keep private. Reckless driving and speeding are illegal and extremely unsafe. Sacrificing your child's privacy in this case is a much better option than allowing them to participate in activities that place their own and other children's lives at risk. If you can monitor your teen driver, you will be able to know for certain that they are driving as they should.

If you are a parent considering the purchase of a monitoring system, think back to when you were a teenager. Did you ever drive recklessly? Did you ever find yourself in a driving situation that was unsafe due to your lack of experience behind the wheel? Did you lose any friends in your teenage years to reckless driving? Many people answer yes to all three of those questions. A phenomenal percentage of teen drivers will drive recklessly at some period in their teenage years. For some of them, a near miss or sadly, the loss of a friend to an automobile accident serves as a wake up call. It is their lack of driving and life experience that makes "teenage drivers" so dangerous. Many teenage drivers are overcome with the excitement of getting their driver's license. They need to drive to gain practical experience in handling an automobile. At the same time, they need to be restricted in the types of driving that they are allowed to engage in. If you monitor teen drivers, you can reduce the level of danger that they are likely to find themselves in when they drive.

Speed Governor Systems

Speed governor systems are considered by some to be an alternative to a driving monitoring system. They can be extremely useful in conjunction with a monitoring system but they are not an alternative. A speed governor acts by limiting the maximum speed at which a vehicle can travel. The trouble is that it is unwise to set a speed governor to the speed limit. What speed limit are you going to set it to? Some roads have higher speed limits than others. The speed that a vehicle would travel on a highway is extremely unsafe for suburban roads. A speed governor is effective for limiting the maximum speed of a vehicle but it will not eliminate speeding. Consider it, instead, as another tool at your disposal to keep your teenager from driving dangerously. A monitoring system is far more useful in controlling their driving activities within city limits.

Enforcing Driving Discipline

While a driving monitor will be able to inform you if your children are driving dangerously, you will still need to enforce some driving discipline. A lot of parents struggle to think of ways to enforce a safe driving policy within their household. The issue might be complicated if your teenager owns their own car. They might be unwilling to accept the installation of a driving monitor. This is why a lot of parents who are concerned about their children's driving allow them to use the family car or, in some situations, even buy a car for use by their children.

Use of the Family Car

Allowing your teenage driver to use the family car is an excellent way to ensure they are driving safely. It is decidedly more difficult to monitor teen drivers in their own cars. If the car belongs to you, they do not have any input into the technology that you install in the car. A car is a significant expense to an adult, let alone a teenager. By purchasing the first vehicle that they drive, you ensure not only that you are able to monitor their driving habits but also that they are in a vehicle that is safe. Your teenager will be reluctant to purchase a vehicle if there is one that they can use for free.

Be a Good Example to Your Teenage Driver

Beyond the purchase of a driving monitor, there are a few other things that can be done to encourage safer driving practices. The first and most important thing that you can do is to lead a good example. Be a model of safe driving. Speeding when your teenager is in the car with you will only lead them to think that it is acceptable. Talk to your teenager about safe driving. Share with them some of your own experiences relating to the dangers of reckless driving. Be honest as they will appreciate your honesty. Drivers learn invaluable skills in their teenage years. The goal is not to keep your teenager out of the car but to get them in it safely. Finally, check the car periodically for signs of reckless driving. Small dents and scratches, rapid wear on the tires, or tires with flat spots are all key indicators of dangerous driving.

If you have decided that a driving monitor is necessary for your teenager, tell them that you have installed it and why you have installed it. They do not have to be happy with your decision. One day, they will understand. Monitor teen drivers and educate them on the benefits of driving safely. This will allow you to take comfort in the fact that you have done everything that you can to keep them safe on the roads. A multi-faceted approach to teen driving safety combined with an electronic driving monitor can help to give you peace of mind.

About the Author

Andre Zayas is a professionally syndicated author.