Want to Monitor Your Teens Driving Habits?
AAA has a product called AAA Onboard. It is a GPS device that tracks your teens every move behind the wheel. The device notifies you when they leave, when they arrive and wait for it…if they are driving too fast.
Beyond being able to track your teenager, AAA Onboard allows you to set a maximum speed, boundaries (which for me means I could make sure they couldn’t cross the border into Mexico) and times the car can be used. As in the car won’t start after curfew. If your teen tries to remove the device, the car will not start and you will be notified.
While I am a bit torn by the Big Brotherness of this product, I am also driven by safety to give it a whirl. With the stats being…
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, killing between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers every year.
- No other kind of hazard comes close to claiming as many teenage lives, including homicides (13 percent) and suicides (11 percent).
…why wouldn’t I use it to try and protect my teens as they begin their driving life? It can always be removed once a sense of trust has been established.
I asked my oldest son, who will be getting his license August 13th, his thoughts on the product. He was torn, “It would anger me beyond belief that you would lack the trust to put it there in the first place. I don’t like the idea but I guess it’s a good idea for the insanely over protective parent.”
My 15 year old son, who will be getting his license in January, was a little less offended, “I would think it was awkward that you would be monitoring my movements, although it could be helpful if it were less overbearing.”
And? I get it. I would absolutely have hated the idea of my parents doing this to me. That said, if it keeps them alive? I am all in.
What are your thoughts? Would you use this product? Is it going too far?
Click for more stats on teen driving.
This is not a sponsored post. I came across AAA Onboard all on my own.
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