Last time I talked about the importance of a driving contract between a parent and child that sets the ground rules for your child’s safe driving. I also mentioned the importance of writing this down and having a list of consequences for breaking the rules.
This is a great start but the downside is that it only addresses an issue after it happens. How do you know if your child is speeding if a ticket is not issued?
When my son was 17 I found out the hard way that he was speeding. Late one evening while watching the 11:00 news a local police officer knocked on our door. He told me that my Buick had been in an accident. I asked how my son was doing and he said he did not know. My son was not at scene. For one hour as the police searched the area with police dogs we did not know where our son was. Later I found out that he had walked a couple miles in search of a phone and that he was okay.
My son admitted going 70 in a 35 zone. As often happens with speeding he swerved to the right to avoid a car and lost control and took out a telephone pole with a transformer on it. The pole landed on the roof and trunk of the car. Fortunately my son was wearing a seat belt and the airbag deployed. The car was a total loss but I was fortunate that my message of wearing a seat belt got through to my son. Without the seat belt I believe he would have been another teen death statistic.
I wish the technology was available back then that is out there today. Today parents can get a GPS monitoring device that will alert you when your child is speeding. The system is placed in the car and reports back certain driving behaviors through alerts. The system will send these alerts as an email to the parent or text message the parent’s cell phone.
There are other alerts as well. If your child goes out of certain area it will also alert you. You can even prevent the car from starting remotely if you choose.
This is a great tool to protect your child. If I had known my son was speeding I may have been able to correct his behavior before he got into the accident that could have cost him his life.
The system allows the parent to go onto a website and monitor in real time where their son/daughter is at that moment. It will also provide you a history of where they have driven.
I have to believe if my son knew this device was in the car he would not have been speeding. I hope no parent ever gets a visit from the local police like we did that night. I strongly urge you to check out these GPS monitoring devices. It may well save a life!
My son is a good kid. He just made a bad decision. Auto accidents are the number one killer of Teenagers. Sixteen year olds are inexperience and immature drivers. Protect them any way you can. Stay vigilant in discussing driving safety with your children. You may think they are not listening but they hear you.
For more information on the GPS monitoring device visit: www.teendriverinsurance.com/spencer.
Winter is coming! The leaves are falling and the streets will become slick. In my next Blog we will discuss how to teach your child to drive in snow and ice.