As a parent, one of the most stressful times in your child’s life is when he or she gets a Pennsylvania driver’s license. This is a huge responsibility for your child and one that could lead to serious consequences if abused. It can be hard to let go and trust your child will always do the right thing when behind the wheel. However, if you are very concerned and want to be sure your child is driving responsibly, then you can turn to technology to help you out.
According to USA Today, there are many different technologies that have been designed to help parents monitor teen driving habits. There are mobile apps that help to track your child’s driving. Apple has License+ that provides a gadget installed in the car that communicates with an app. It can tell you about braking, acceleration and speed. You can get real-time tracking or just a summary version. For Android, there is Life360. It helps track speed, braking, acceleration and location. It will also report if there is an accident.
Phone service providers have also gotten into the game by offering apps and phone settings that allow a teen to silence his or her phone when driving. Some phones can be set up to go into driving mode as soon as it connects to a car’s Bluetooth.
Vehicle manufacturers are also rolling out new models that have driving monitoring systems installed. Chevy has Teen Driver Technology, while Ford has MyKey and Volkswagen has Car-Net. These features allow a parent to have control over systems in the vehicle, such as radio volume, and provide stats on speed and driving habits. This information is for education and is not legal advice.