50% Of Parents Use Driver Tracking Apps with Teens

Virtually 50% of oldsters with new teen drivers use a monitoring app to monitor their child’s activity on the street, in accordance with a brand new USAA survey. The survey, carried out by Endeavor Analytics and YouGov, uncovered information about why mother and father consider monitoring apps assist their teenagers keep a safer street presence.

Ninety-three % of collaborating mother and father with drivers ages of 16 to twenty fear about their baby taking the automotive out–pointing to issues like distracted driving, particularly as a result of cellphone use, and general inexperience behind the wheel.

Different notable findings embrace:

• 86% of respondents say they test the app that displays their teen’s driving not less than weekly.
• 49% of respondents monitor the app every day.
• 87% of respondents who report utilizing a monitoring app really feel their baby’s driving improved in consequence.   

Mother and father particularly report that utilizing a monitoring app helps enhance their teen’s consciousness of their driving habits as a result of parental suggestions, in addition to real-time suggestions from the expertise.

Advantages of Utilizing Driver Monitoring Apps

In response to Randy Termeer, President, Property and Casualty Insurance coverage at USAA, driving apps do extra than simply provide mother and father peace of thoughts.

“These apps additionally assist teenagers turn out to be extra aware of their very own conduct behind the wheel,” he tells Mother and father.

Termeer explains that apps enhance youngsters’ habits behind the wheel as a result of they know their actions are being tracked. “This expertise fosters higher communication between parents and teens, making it simpler to debate areas of concern and reinforcing protected driving habits. For many, it helped them acknowledge that they must be extra aware of their actions on the street.”

He provides an instance of the kind of suggestions a driving app gives: “As soon as the journey concludes, each mother and father and baby can overview driving behaviors reminiscent of harsh braking and cellphone distractions, offering an opportunity for constructive discussions.”

Termeer is aware of about these doubtlessly powerful conversations firsthand as a guardian of two teen drivers.

“Knowledge from driving apps helps take the emotion out of it—it’s not simply your opinion however actual, goal info,” he says. “This makes discussions extra productive, providing clear objectives for enchancment.”

Bill Van Tassel, PhD, Supervisor of Driver Coaching Operations for AAA, says utilizing a driver monitoring app may also assist to foster a way of partnership by means of accountability between guardian and baby throughout this difficult new time. Teenagers may even monitor their mother and father’ driving exercise. Dr. Van Tassel suggests placing a household protected driving problem in place to make accountable street exercise enjoyable for everybody. 

In the meantime, the app “Will help give teenagers an ‘out’ in opposition to peer stress to drive unsafely,” Dr. Van Tassel tells Mother and father. As an illustration, a teen may say to a peer, “If I pace, my mother and father will discover out instantly.”

Why Driver Monitoring Apps Could Not Be for Everybody

Whereas I acknowledge the advantages of driver monitoring apps, and I fear every day concerning the dangers of my daughter’s new driving freedom, I don’t plan to make use of the expertise. 

Name me quaint, however I really feel monitoring my teen’s exercise behind the wheel is an invasion of her privateness. In my view, she has earned the correct to get pleasure from some independence, particularly since she took her 12 months of studying with a allow very significantly, and he or she enrolled in a multi-day driving course. What’s extra, the state says she will be able to legally function a automobile.

All of that stated, I in fact perceive my daughter is inexperienced. However all of us had been sooner or later! I’ll add that since she’s a brand new driver, we restrict the place she is allowed to go for now—and her privileges will enhance as she features expertise. 

Another excuse I don’t use a monitoring app is that I don’t assume I’d do effectively with the expertise, as it might solely serve to intensify my nervousness about my daughter being on the street. I think about myself checking the app incessantly to the purpose of obsession—not good!

Yaranil Ferrer, a licensed medical social employee in New Jersey, agrees.

“Checking the app in an try to alleviate nervousness is usually a potential drawback for fogeys,” she says. “If nervousness peaks however is relieved by checking, there’s a potential for compulsive and obsessive behaviors.”

Her recommendation? “Understanding why you might be using the app within the first place and connecting that with the values you wish to reside by might help you get to a spot of intentional use of the app that provides to you and your loved ones’s life and wellbeing.”

Whereas Ferrer agrees driver monitoring apps provide loads of upside, she additionally says, “If these apps are used as a way of surveillance, that is when this may turn out to be a problem because the app turns into an influence and management tactic, which might result in points inside the parent-child relationship.”

Dr. Van Tassel provides, “It’s most likely finest for fogeys to not rely solely on an app to watch how their teen’s driving talents and habits are evolving.”

He recommends getting within the automotive along with your baby once in a while once they’re driving, even after they’ve their license, so rhythms of belief and good driving habits are shaped.

Suggestions for Maximizing Your Teen Driver’s Security

Whether or not or not you select to make use of a driver monitoring app, specialists provide some suggestions for ensuring your young driver is safe on the market on the roadways:

• Help your teen with instructions earlier than they hit the street: This will embrace looking out out there routes with them earlier than getting within the automotive, and inputing the handle into the gps collectively earlier than sending them off.
• Instruct them to set telephones to “don’t disturb” mode whereas driving: On the very least, encourage them to test in with you as soon as they’ve arrived to their vacation spot. Or if they should contact somebody, use voice textual content solely.
• Counsel making a tune playlist forward of time: This is usually a enjoyable means for them to loosen up without having to fret about altering the channel on the radio. For instance, they will create a playlist for their commute to school.
• Encourage teenagers to tug over to deal with any potential distractions: Together with dropping a cellphone underneath the seat or coping with a bug that flies into the automotive whereas they’re driving.

Lastly, Ferrer says that on the subject of a teen’s driving, mother and father want to acknowledge what they’re doing proper. 

“We will get so targeted on what wants enchancment that we neglect to take discover of what is going on effectively,” she says. “When addressing any considerations, be sure you level out the place they’re enhancing and even excelling.”