May 14, 2009

Do You Know What Your Car's Doing?

In one of the most popular Beach Boys’ anthems of all time, Daddy took the T-Bird away when he found out his daughter was cruising the hamburger stand instead of being parked at the library, but she had fun, fun, fun until he figured it out. If her dad had the GPS technology available today, he might have nipped the burger stand visits in the bud on the very first day, leaving us all sadder for it.

Today’s GPS navigation devices are commonly used to get a user from point A to point B, but new technology can expand that basic capability with the addition of a live Web-based tracking unit that updates vehicles’ positions every 10 seconds. With a GPS sending unit on the car and a hookup via the Internet, a vehicle’s position can be viewed from any Web-enabled computer. This new technology can provide parents of teens more peace of mind about the whereabouts and behavior of their children and help ensure their safety.

“As your teen’s responsibilities increase, a parent’s anxiety levels can skyrocket and for good reason,” George Karonis, CEO of LiveViewGPS said. “Your kids may argue that installing a GPS monitoring device shows a total lack of trust, but we believe it is more along the lines of ‘Trust, but verify.’”

According to Karonis, research has shown that teenagers don’t drive safely for fear of crashing, but rather, for fear of getting a ticket. Researchers said that teenagers have a sense of immortality and the “it can't happen to me” syndrome. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for those of ages 15 to 20, and speeding has been a factor in over 37 percent of crashes involving 16-year-olds. Monitoring kids’ behavior can motivate them to drive more safely and give you peace of mind.

Beyond safety, on the more practical side, getting a speeding ticket for just 20 miles per hour over the limit can result in a $3,000 increase in premiums for auto insurance with a teen driver on your policy. Again, using a monitoring system may lead to better behavior.

“Speed thresholds can be set online, as well as zone or area alerts,” Karonis said. “Anytime your vehicle exceeds your set speed threshold, you will get an SMS text message to your cell phone, as well as an email, notifying you of the speed violation. Moreover, when your vehicle exits or enters a specified geographical zone, you can configure the system to also send you a cell phone or email alert.”