GPS Tracking ROI

I came across this report today on a device I’m really happy to see.  Parents have had the option for some time now to monitor teen drivers with GPS tracking and other teen driving safety devices … and they are used far too little.  In the US we still kill far more teen and young 20’s drivers than we can possibly justify.  A teen is safer going off to fight in Iraq than traveling our highways … or so it seems.  At least s/he will have adult supervision in Iraq.

Basic GPS tracking devices are good … they will show where the teen has been and how fast they have been driving, which certainly can help correct driving errors, but it is very rare for GPS tracking equipment to have knowledge of actual vehicle handling built in.  This is a great step forward and I’ll learn more about the US version of this Green Road system.  reading the article, I really got a bit annoyed by the flippant attitude of the writer.

It’s as if she doesn’t really realize the scope of the problem … and the need to progress from the ‘dark days’ of giving a child the car keys and worrying to a more modern attitude of watching over only the bad points of their driving … hey, we all can use a little oversight from time to time … and using this knowledge to not only keep them safe but to become much better drivers for the future.  I guess no one really wants to recognize driving for the skill that it actually is.  People spend a lifetime learning about golf or improving their piano skills, but think they are natural-born driving experts.  Read the article and see if you get the same feelings.

And if you have children or supervise programs that oversee children, do something about it.

A new device is being tested that enables parents to remotely monitor teenagers’ driving

It used to be that passing your driving test meant getting the keys to a whole new kind of freedom, away from watchful parental eyes.

But now a new device is threatening this rite of passage by effectively giving parents the ability to spy on their offspring and check up on their driving, even from miles away.

This gadget that thwarts teenage kicks is called Safety Center, and is made by a US company named GreenRoad. It is about to go on trial in Staffordshire as part of a scheme aimed at reducing the accident rate among young drivers. The system includes a “black box”, containing a GPS locator to calculate speed, plus various G-force and motion sensors to monitor the novice driver’s manoeuvres. The data are then relayed to a website at which anxious parents can remotely monitor their children’s driving.

Dangerous manoeuvres, such as accelerating too hard while going round a corner or pulling out too quickly when overtaking, are signaled in red on a password-protected personal web page. Green indicates good driving and amber points to areas that need improvement.

Another device, which includes two small LEDs, is fitted to the dashboard and will flash red or amber whenever a bad manoeuvre is detected, warning the driver to change their behaviour.

As the system is not hooked up to a database of speed limits, it will not flash if the driver is simply breaking the limit. However, the website will list an average speed for each journey; if the average is 80mph, parents will know their child has been speeding. …

Adrian Hide, head of road safety for Staffordshire county council, says: “People have a tendency to think they are better drivers than they really are.

“The aim of this trial is not to spy on young people then punish them, but to highlight where they are going wrong so they can change their behaviour and avoid accidents.” … complete, anti-safety, pro status quo Luddite article

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