Tracking Device to Check on Teens While Driving…
Brittany Fortier
January 10, 2011
Filed under Opinion, Student Life, Top Stories
It’s a Friday night. You’re in your car, you glance down and notice the time. It’s 10:37pm. You were supposed to meet a bunch of your friends for the movie at 10:30, but you’re late again. You hope they saved you a seat, you think to yourself, as you slowly lay your foot harder on the gas pedal. Without notice, your speedometer’s arrow swiftly rises to the 60 mph mark, but you push it to get there faster. Suddenly, your phone rings. You hope it’s your friends, but the caller I.D. says it’s your mom. “Slow down! You’re speeding! If you do it again, your keys are mine for the weekend.” You hear a click, as your mom hangs up. “Now, how did she know that?” You turn around and wonder, “Is she following me?” No, not really. What you don’t know is that there’s a tracking device on the car, and your mom can see almost everything you’re doing.
Technology is crazy nowadays. Witht the invention of a new program called the Teensurance System, parents can now track their kids when they are out in their car. So, when you are going over the designated set speed, going out of the boundaries, staying out past your curfew, or drive to a wrong location…your parents will know. What’s more, if you make a wrong move, your parents will receive a text alert, voicemail, or email right away. They can even watch the car travel online. They can see where you are at all times, even when you’re miles away.
Creepy? Overprotective? A little too much? Maybe, but it is a resource that some parents are using to ensure their kids are safe. The device is available through certain auto insurance companies, and aside from the safety issues, it can be programmed to also unlock car doors, call for roadside assistance and by the end of this year, it will be able to shut off the car ignition. Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney with the Teensurance System says, “Our intent is to increase parent’s peace of mind while enabling teens to gain more freedom.”
While the intent might be great, there are some parents that applaud it, while others look down on it.
“I do not plan to use any type of tracking device for my car as it pertains to my daughters’ driving,” explained Mr. Michael Ellis, CCA’s Middle School Guidance Counselor. “I feel it is important to develop TRUST with your children well before they begin to drive. It gives me a greater peace of mind that my daughter, Kayla, is making choices based on her love for God and her desire to respect her parents. Not on whether or not I am monitoring what she is doing and where she is going.”
Something to think about. Is the tracking device for you? Should your parents be using it? Send us your comments at MessengerEditor@ccaeagles.org.