In a 2019 study conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), 68% of teens said they had narrowly avoided a crash, and more than half had experienced more than one close call in the past year. More than 2,000 students in 28 high schools were surveyed for this study, which was released on June 13. Some of these close calls were caused from inexperience behind the wheel, distraction, or freezing up due to a fear of driving.
Of those who said that they had a close call, 55% blamed other drivers or the weather. However, when asked as to what was happening during the exact time of that close call, 30% of teens said they were speeding, 21% said they were texting and 20% said they were talking to passengers in the car.
A similar study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance in April, found that when crashes occurred because of an error made by a teen, 20% of the time distracted driving was to blame (texting, mp3 players, passengers, etc.). The study also found that speeding was responsible for 21% of crashes in which teens were at fault. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens are four times more likely to get into accidents than older drivers. About 3,000 teens died in auto accidents in 2009, and according to to CDC estimates, roughly 350,000 were treated for injuries.
Stephen Wallace, chairman of SADD, says the idea to research close calls by teen drivers came out of focus groups. “We were hearing a lot of kids saying ‘I almost did this, I almost did that,’” Wallace says. The problem is, however, these close calls and crashes aren’t changing driving behaviors and bad habits among teens. According to the Liberty Mutual/SADD study, a little over half the teenagers surveyed said their new habits lasted only a few months or less.
GPS Tracking Devices For Teenage Drivers
As children gradually transition into adolescence, one of the greatest fears that parents often face is placing their teenagers behind the wheel of a car. This is a significant event in the life of both the parent and the teen, however, parents now have the tools necessary to ensure their child is responsible behind the wheel. Teen tracking using GPS technology provides a level of security from the convenience and comfort of home using a computer, smartphone or mobile tablet with internet access.
Real-Time GPS trackers have to ability to capture and transmit important GPS location data, such as time, position, and even the speed of the vehicle in a matter of seconds. GPS tracking devices, such as Tracki, Vyncs GPS, LandAirSea 54 and SpaceHawk GPS overlay the live and historical positions over high resolution satellite images such as Google Maps. This provides a truly user-friendly and intuitive tracking experience.
And since speed is often a major concern for parents, who are the ones that pay for the insurance premiums, alerts can be sent as a text message (SMS) or email when a user-defined violation occurs. In addition to speeding alerts, location proximity alerts can also notify parents of the arrival and departure of their vehicles.
GPS vehicle trackers have also become relatively affordable over the past few years, offering a simple and logical safety solution for less than a cup of coffee per day. Teen tracking also has the potential to provide some financial benefits as well. Many insurance companies recognize GPS tracking devices as a theft recovery solution and offer a policy discount.
How Installing GPS Tracking Devices Can Help Teen Safety
According to recent statistics provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation, young drivers between the ages of 16-20 were involved in 58,392 total reported crashes in 2019. And although they account for about 8% of all licensed drivers, their involvement in crashes is considerably higher. In addition, teenagers driving at night with passengers are four to five times more likely to crash than teenagers driving during the day.
A statistical research study performed by the National Traffic Safety Administration also revealed that more than 5,000 teens are killed annually in traffic collisions, which makes it the leading cause of death for Americans between ages 15 and 20.
GPS car trackers, can be used to monitor and track the driving habits of young drivers by keeping them accountable for their whereabouts and their driving tendencies. Installing a GPS tracking device can also help in potentially reducing the risk of vehicle related accidents, injuries, or even fatalities among young, less-experienced drivers. The reality is that teen driving statistics can and should be improved, and GPS car trackers can help.
While there are no guaranteed life-saving inventions available in today’s market, proper monitoring and guidance can greatly reduce the risk of injuries and/or fatalities among teenage drivers. Utilizing devices such as real time GPS trackers, can serve as a valuable preventative tool to help parents monitor one of their most cherished assets, their children.
Matthew is a freelance writer who is passionate about technology, music, photography, and decentralized finance.
