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Tracking device helps
teens to drive right
June 24, 2007
Parents trying to keep track of their teenage drivers are
about to get a little more help -- from the heavens.
Safeco Insurance this month will roll out a product called
Teensurance that relies on a Global Positioning System device attached under the dashboard to pinpoint a teen's car at
any moment.
If your teen is out past curfew, on an interstate highway against your orders or is burning rubber
down side streets, for example, the tracking device will notify you immediately on the Internet, your home or cell phone,
or other mobile devices.
Teensurance is the latest of high-tech products that use global-positioning satellites
to help create a safer environment for teen drivers.
"New technology is giving parents the opportunity to
have safer drivers," said Loretta Worters, a vice president at the Insurance Information Institute.
Car crashes
are the leading cause of death for 16- to 20-year-olds in the United States. About 6,000 teens die from crashes every year,
according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition, newly licensed 16-year-olds have a higher accident
rate than any other age group.
That was what prompted Safeco's program to give parents more assurance about
their youngsters' driving behavior. Starting Wednesday, the service will be available to Safeco's 4.3 million customers
in 44 states. The cost will be $14.99 a month, or about $188 a year in additional premiums. That price is guaranteed for two
years.
In return, the insurer will install under the car's dashboard a beacon-type device about the size of
a deck of cards. Customers then open an online account, where they set up driving limitations with their teen on such things
as speed, distance, location and curfew.
The Teensurance service includes 24-7 roadside assistance, and if the
vehicle has automatic door locks, parents can unlock the car remotely if the keys get locked inside. If the vehicle is stolen,
the GPS technology can help police track it down.
In April, AIG began testing a GPS program in six states and expects
to introduce it nationally soon.
If the tracking systems help teens become safer drivers, I'm all for them.
As my insurance agent told me, when it comes to driving, habits are habits -- hard to break.
Steve Rosen is a reporter
for The Kansas City Star. E-mail him at srosen@kcstar.com.
Source: orlandosentinel.com
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