Tracking Teen Drivers

Help Lower your Insurance on Your Teen Driver

2019-04-22T09:58:00.002-04:00

Need A Break from Your High Insurance Cost?

Insurance Company hate young drivers. The cost of insuring a under 25 driver can set you back more than the car payment. Help lower your insurance premiums with a live streaming dash camera with GPS tracking and give your kid and chance to prove he is a good driver.Install a camera in your car and tell your insurance company and see if they will lower your rates. Hey ever bit helps. Especially the piece of mind knowing your are riding along with your teen driver.

To Track or Not to Track...My Teen Driver.

2015-12-07T08:53:00.001-05:00

The Age Old Question..

To Track my son/daughter, or not to track them.

Never a simple answer.

I have heard many different replies to this.

"I would never track my child, it invades their privacy"
"I would feel bad if they knew I didn't trust them"
"What would I do if I found out they lied to me"?
"They're Just having Fun".

Typical responses from parents who want to tracking their kids, but talk themselves out of it.

Let look at some numbers.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the U.S. The National Safety Council sees the issue as a national crisis.

Read More...

Reasons Why Parents Must Look Into This Technology

When, for instance, you track your youth vehicle, you are able to keep track of speed and location of the vehicle, obtain notifications when the vehicle is relocated or stolen, as well as generate a "perimeter” around locations your teenagers are or aren't allowed to go.

Generally there are many apparent advantages of making use of teen tracking technology. Many of these devices will give you each, the home address and also the name of the place where the youngster can be found. Teen tracking works extremely well in tracking your adolescence's actions:

Keeps track of speed
Keep track of engine idle times
Keep track of accepted and unaccepted destinations
Track of your teenagers driving abilities with Driver ScoreCard
Posted Speed Alerts with SpeedLimit
Keep track of most regularly visited destinations
Set a perimeter-wall around unwanted locations

The fact is that the real danger is knowing that no teenager contains the expertise to think realistically during a panic situation. Isn't teen tracking well worth the expense? Isn’t it time for you to discuss to your son or daughter the real dangers of teen driving and the need for tracking their vehicle. The protection of your children as well as your peace of mind is a good enough reason why all parents should think about teen tracking.

Why take a chance on having a joy ride become a deadly accident.

Head off trouble before it happens.

Same Great Live Viewing DashCam, But now on the Verizon Network.

2015-04-02T14:10:00.000-04:00

Parents are looking for ways to help their kids realize that driving a 4000 lbs vehicle can be dangerous.
We all have heard about texting and driving, or even talking on the cell when driving, all constitute "Distracted Driving".
Sometimes we don't even realize the things we do when are driving.
Adjusting the radio, drop something on the floor. reaching back to the kids when we are driving.
We are not even touching on what really goes on, during a drive on the highway. People reading books, newspapers, putting on make up, eating lunch, all while driving. How can we every think that are kids are not watching what is going on and thinking it is acceptable.

Imagine now that you can ride along with them and review their driving habits. With a click of a link, or a click of our mobile app, you can watch in real time either of the two cameras of this Dashcam. See the driver and see what the driver sees. LIVE.

Now you are able to better understand, just what is going on out there.
Help your children become a better driver.

www.safetytrack.net/verizon_dashcam

Track Your Teen with a Live Streaming 4G DashCam?

2015-01-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Parents have always looked for new ways of parenting.
There never has been a manual for this life changing event.
We listen to friends for advice. Read the latest articles to find some new way to enhance our ability to monitor our kids.

Things have changed in the world we live in and the need to monitor has become more apparent.
We find kids on the most part, want to do the right things. It could be just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Sometimes it can be being with the wrong friends at the wrong time.

Teen driving is a right of passage.

Freedom.

The ability to be on your own.
With the freedom, comes responsibility.
So many distraction!
Social Media.
Having to see what your BFF's our saying while your driving.
"I must keep in touch"
This leads to distracted driving.

Some parents have put a GPS Tracker on their kids cars.
Thats a good start.
Know where your teens are gives "Peace of Mind".

But what are they doing while they are driving?
Texting, Tweeting, Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat are can distract your young driver, all the while their are to be focusing on the road.

Looking down at your cell phone, for only 2 seconds, a vehicle can travel over the length of a football field?

Scary. isnt it?

The latest in technology, the in vehicle camera has possibly been a thought.
Price may have been a deterrent.

But now you can have a dashcam with live streaming video. Yes you can view this 2 camera system, while the vehicle is moving down the street, LIVE.
it also can be equipped with a GPS Tracking package.
All of this for under $500.00 for the DashCam. Monitoring can be as low as $24.95
Small compact in design and having the ability to streaming video now makes a lot of sense.

Let me know your thoughts.

We are always trying to find the latest in technology to help you in raising your children.

Reason To Track your Teen Driver.

2014-02-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

Reasons Why Parents Must Look Into This Technology!

Teen tracking technology provides families the various tools to aid their teen youngsters exercise the liberty they desire while allowing mom and dad to discover exactly where they may be as well as if they are safe and sound. When, for instance, you track your youth vehicle, you are able to keep track of speed and location of the vehicle, obtain notifications when the vehicle is relocated or stolen, as well as generate a "perimeter” around locations your teenagers are or aren't allowed to go. Generally there are many apparent advantages of making use of teen tracking technology. Many of these devices will give you each, the home address and also the name of the place where the youngster can be found. Teen tracking works extremely well in tracking your adolescence's actions:

· Keeps track of speed
· Keep track of engine idle times
· Keep track of accepted and unaccepted destinations
· Keep track of your teenagers driving abilities
· Keep track of if other people are inside the car
· Keep track of most regularly visited destinations
· Set a perimeter-wall around unwanted locations

The fact is that the real danger is knowing that no teenager contains the expertise to think realistically during a panic situation. Isn't teen tracking well worth the expense? Isn't it time for you to discuss to your son or daughter the real dangers of teen driving and the need for tracking their vehicle. The protection of your children as well as your peace of mind is a good enough reason why all parents should think about teen tracking.

Florida May Ban Cell Phone Use by Teen Drivers!

2013-10-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

TALLAHASSEE - Florida may become the next state to bar drivers younger than 18 from using cell phones behind the wheel, with some legislators saying they're alarmed by teens text-messaging while driving.

Senate Transportation Chairman Carey Baker, R-Eustis, and Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, have introduced legislation (SB504 and HB193) to make Florida the 18th state with such a ban.
Legg says his legislation is homegrown.

"I'm the father of two teenagers who text-message more than they talk on the cell phone," said Legg. "We have a rule they can't use their phones or text while driving. But I see their friends doing it at stop signs or with one hand on the steering wheel."

The legislation would allow law enforcement to issue non-criminal traffic citations to drivers younger than 18 caught using an electronic wireless communications device while driving, meaning no cell phones, laptops or hand-helds.

Headsets wouldn't be allowed either.

But the proposal would allow a ticket to be written only when the driver is stopped for another infraction, similar to the way Florida's seat-belt law is enforced. If found guilty, the driver would be assessed one point on his or her license.

Baker said that provision should make the measure acceptable to most lawmakers when the Legislature convenes in March.

Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, and Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, said the bill sounds like a good idea. Aronberg said he would be careful when reading the bill to make sure there are exceptions in emergencies. Skidmore said she thought the bill should be expanded requiring adults to use hands-free devices.

"But certainly young folks learning to drive should be more focused and restricted from even using hands-free," Skidmore said. On today's roads, "If you make a mistake someone is dead, dying or injured."

Legislation banning cell phone use for all drivers was first proposed in Florida five years ago. But such measures have failed, with legislators saying they would be too much government interference.

Baker cited similar concerns last year when he blocked efforts to allow cameras to be installed at intersections to catch red-light violators, drawing criticism from some law enforcement officials, safety advocates and newspaper editorial boards that called for such devices.

Concerns about government over-reaching are likely to be raised with the proposed teen cell phone ban, but Baker said the measure is warranted.

"I just know how kids are," Baker said. "They get distracted easily, and that's how accidents happen."
A study by the Allstate Foundation, an group allied with the insurance giant, found that 13 percent of teens admit to text-messaging while driving.

"We have a problem with all drivers, really, using cell phones. But I think this is a reasonable step," Baker said.

California in September became the latest state with a ban, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation prohibiting drivers younger than 18 from using mobile devices.

Talking or listening on a cell phone is among the most frequently cited distractions affecting drivers involved in a serious auto accident, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, which has not taken a position on the legislation.

"What you want to stop is the social networking by text message while they're supposed to be focused on the road," Aronberg said.

Some parents — and even teenagers — say the ban sounds like a good idea.

"It makes sense," said Lorraine Zaron of Boca Raton, who has two teenage sons. "I do talk to them about not using the phone while driving, but whether they listen to me or not — I'm not in the car with them."

Jade Kral, 17, of Coral Springs, who began driving last year, said it's naive for parents to think their teens don't use their phones while driving.

"Most [teens] aren't allowed to use cell phones, but they do anyway," Kral said, adding the ban "would probably scare them into not using them."

Kral said if the ban passed, it would affect her cell phone use while driving. "If it's an important call, I would use it briefly, but I wouldn't use it for longer conversations anymore."

Ben Bornstein, 15, a sophomore at Orange County's Edgewater High School in the Orlando area, has had his learner's permit since February.

"People are texting around here all the time," Bornstein said. "That's how a lot of teenagers get in accidents."

Bornstein's mother, Debra, 43, of Maitland, said the restriction would allow new drivers to stay focused — and think twice before answering a cell phone or replying to a text message.

"Kids would realize that the message can wait until they pull over or get out of the car," Debra Bornstein said.

The ban's age restriction would be unfair, said Anna Annecca, 16, a Fort Lauderdale resident who began driving in January 2006.

"It shouldn't just be restricted to teenagers," she said. "I know older people who drive so much worse."

Maybe an In Vehicle Camera would help reduce improper cell phone usage.

Staff Writers Juan Ortega, Maria Herrera and Jerome Burdi contributed to this report.

Safety Track announces the released their new Personal Tracking Unit, the S-911 Lol

2013-06-03T10:01:00.003-04:00

The S-911 Lola is the world’s smallest real time GPS locating device with voice communication. This small GPS locator is ideal for autistic children, special operations, a family or friend with a cognitive disorder, tracking a pet, or any vehicle/asset.

Real time locations are tracked with a powerful web-based system that can be view from any computer or capable mobile device. Additional options are available in the system such as automated alerting via e-mail/cell phone, geo-fence boundaries, a variety of reports, and more.

http://www.safetytrack.net/st-100-compact-personal-locator/

This unit is small and compact. Easy to use and will be able to track children going to school, elderly parents, and even pets, all in a single device.

Size: 2.1” X 1.5” X .6” this is the smallest tracker available.

Throw it in a backpack, or on a belt loop, for easy tracking.

With the Geofence, you will be alerted when your device goes outside of its parameter.

The next update to the S-911 Lola will be released in the next 60 days will have the ability to remind the elderly when they have to take their medication. This will be the first device of its kind that has this capability.

Another Father Wants to Track His Daughter.

2012-12-10T15:50:00.002-05:00

We get these all the time.
A Father calls us up and says he wants to track his Child.
He is hesitant to do so, not sure if it is the right thing to do.
Is he invading her privacy?
Is he going to far?
Let me share with you my situation.
I own a tracking company
I have three daughter, one who has moved out and married. Another who has just moved out and a third who is still in High School.

I tracked them all. They knew. Sometimes they didn't like it, but now the oldest tells the younger ones, it was out of LOVE. Yes we did it because we LOVE them. Not because we didn't trust them. Well maybe we didn't, but we wanted them to be safe.
Now the youngest calls us and say, I am lost, HELP. We log onto our system and see exactly where she is and walk her through the turns needed to get to a highway.
Sounds crazy, but we would not have it any other way.
Speed alerts, odd hours or operation, all come to our cell phone, letting us know what is going on.
Today it is to easy to lie about where you are or have been.
It is easy to operate and simple to use.
We have parent with ignition shut off switches installed on their kids car with the tracking unit. you have to choose how you want to handle your child. With these devices, you now how the information you need to make better decisions.

With the Plug and Play design, you can move them from car to car, just that easy.
No long term contract to sign either.
If you are thinking of tracking you child, you should check this link out.

Oh and it is good for tracking elderly parents too.

Is Teen Tracking Technology Worth Looking Into?

2012-11-28T11:40:00.003-05:00

Keeps track of speed
Keep track of engine idle times
Keep track of accepted and unaccepted destinations
Keep track of your teenagers driving abilities
Keep track of if other people are inside the car
Keep track of most regularly visited destinations
Set a perimeter-wall around unwanted locations

The fact is that the real danger is knowing that no teenager contains the expertise to think realistically during a panic situation. Isn't teen tracking well worth the expense? Isn't it time for you to discuss to your son or daughter the real dangers of teen driving and the need for tracking their vehicle. The protection of your children as well as your peace of mind is a good enough reason why all parents should think about teen tracking.

Does it Make Sense to Track Your Kid?

2012-10-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

Lately, we have seen a lot more parent want to track their teen driving kids.

We continue to answer multiple questions regarding parents need to track their kids.

Here are a few that we hear:

Am I invading their privacy?

Short answer is yes. Know where they are or what they are doing is not a bad thing. Today, there are so many dangers for kids, from driving fast, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just stay out to late.

These are things that we can help them make better decisions in situations that can impact their lives.

Too many tickets, they lose their license. Driving too fast causes more accidents. Stay out too late can create tension in the house.

Will they know I am tracking them?

Eventually the answer will be yes. Installing a tracking device in a vehicle can be made where no one knows it is there. But once you catch them in a lie, or drive too fast, it will come out in the open. We always suggest the honest approach. Letting them you want to give them their freedom, but need to be aware of where they are. You can use reference to events that have happened in the community, which could young drivers involved in accidents.

Another great reason is for the insurance discounts that are given to vehicles that have a tracker on them. Track all cars, so that they think it is for insurance reasons and not just for them.

What do I do when I catch them?

This is a difficult question to answer. They are many responses that can be used. It depends on the child, their past history, and the event. We always encourage NOT using the Big Brother, I am watching you approach. Discuss how they could have done things differently. I coaching and counseling approach always seems to be more influential then the hard handed approach.

Information is good. Knowing how you teen drive drives is good. With a GPS tracking device you have the ability to obtain more information.

Use it wisely.

Have questions?

Let us know. We have helped families since 2002 with their tracking needs.

info@safetytrack.net

888-286-9829

Teen Driving, How To Reduce the Risk.

2012-08-07T15:26:00.000-04:00

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the U.S.

The National Safety Council sees the issue as a national crisis. We have segmented the problem into three distinct areas, and have adopted strategies to address each of them:

Reduceteen drivers' exposure to risk
Modify risky driving behavior
Develop driver skills and experience

Reducing risk

We're on a mission to inform parents of teen drivers that they can beat the odds. In November 2002, papers prepared by acknowledged experts were presented at the "Symposium on Graduated Driver Licensing: Documenting the Science of GDL." The proceedings provide a comprehensive review of the research that has been done on teenage driver safety issues.

Since the symposium was held, the National Safety Council and its partners in teen driving safety have been distilling the scientific research to present the facts to driver safety professionals and to families, using a variety of methods,

Our new Alive at 25 Parent Program is developed specifically for parents of new drivers. This innovative 3-hour course helps parents partner with their teens to help them become safe, responsible, and defensive drivers.

The new Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety is one way we are helping families understand the truth about risks, and the practical wisdom of graduated privileges.

NSC and its local chapters will be holding parent workshops to introduce the Family Guide to parents. If you are interested in attending a workshop in your area, please send us an e-mail at support@nsc.org with your name, address and phone number. A representative from the NSC chapter in your area will contact you.

Each year, the Journal of Safety Research® publishes articles summarizing recent graduated driver licensing and tee driver research..

This collection of web pages is another way. We will be adding to the information here, so be sure up sign up with your e-mail address to receive reminders to check back for new content.

Modifyingrisky behavior

Traffic safety programs for teens are often designed to help teens modify their own driving behavior to reduce risk of crashes. But we know that many teens have difficulty regulating their risk-taking behavior, and recent research is beginning to give us insight into why. Researchers are finding that the area of the brain that governs weighing consequences of one’s actions, suppressing impulses and organizing thoughts does not fully mature until about age 25. In addition, hormones are active and influencing the brain’s neurochemicals that regulate excitability and mood. This can result in thrill-seeking behavior and other experiences that create intense feelings, during years when the brain’s ability to make people more responsible is not yet fully mature. It’s also during these years that teenagers typically learn to drive.

A balanced approach to traffic safety for young drivers should not depend entirely on teens regulating their own driving behavior. Many factors influence teen driving, including friends and peer pressure, a belief in invincibility, and physiological changes.

Defensive Driving Course-Alive at 25 can help teens deal with these issues that can influence their driving behavior.

GPS Tracking

By adding a GPS Tracking Device to your child's vehicle, you can help reduce speeding and work with your child on driving behavior.can provide the necessary information to help reduce speeding.

Developing skills

Driver education programs can prepare young people to drive and can play a role in helping teens to begin developing driving skills. However, completion of driver education does not mean that teens are then ready to manage a full range of driving challenges. What research shows is more important to safe driving is the opportunity to improve driving skills through gradual exposure to increasingly-challenging driving tasks. Teens become safer drivers as they build driving experience and develop safe driving habits and behaviors.
Driver education can help provide the foundation for safe behaviors through knowledge and practicing beginning skills. Driver education should be viewed as the beginning of a process through which teens learn valuable driving skills and the experience necessary to make them safe drivers. Parents should not rely solely on driver education to provide teens the significant knowledge and experience that they need to become safe drivers. Too often, completing driver education is viewed as the end of the learning process, rather than the beginning. In some states, the completion of driver education qualifies a teen for full driving privileges. The National Safety Council believes this is not a wise approach. Research has shown that significant hours of behind-the-wheel experience are necessary to reduce crash involvement risk. In the process of obtaining that experience through the first two years of driving, the risk of crash involvement can be reduced through state-imposed graduated licensing and parental restrictions.

The National Safety Council www.nsc.org

Florida Might Ban Cell Phone use by Teen Drivers

2012-08-01T15:19:00.001-04:00

So Florida may be looking to limit, or even ban cell phone use for Florida Teens.
Check out the entire article here. http://www.safetytrack.net/?p=4187

2011-11-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

Teen Texting and Driving: An Accident Waiting to Happen

There comes a time when laws simply can’t impact a situation to any great degree. Education, experience and common sense then must prevail.
This is about using cell phones while driving. Numerous road tragedies have occurred where it was documented that the use of cell phones were at the crux of the issue.
There have been many appeals for people not to use their cell phones while driving because of the distractions of dialing and/or trying to hold the phone while negotiating through tight turns and heavy traffic.
Many of us don’t stop to realize that particularly on a two-lane road, when two cars meet it is the equivalent of two guided missiles with only a few feet between them. One bobble and there is the tragic grinding of steel. The result might even resemble the damage caused by a guided missile.
Various ordinances have attempted to thwart some of the dangerous potential of talking on cell phones while driving. Of course, such laws are inherent with the physical problem of actually catching the violator.
But now we learn through various collections of statistics via surveys that many teen-agers are actually text messaging while driving.
This adds a whole new dimension to the dangers of a driver using his cell phone while motoring down the road. Metaphorically speaking, it’s kind of like using a powder keg as an ash tray.

In messaging, one has to take his eyes off the road for a much greater time than is required for speaking on a cell phone. And if there was a way of collecting these messages and analyzing them, they probably would translate to a whole lot of nothing — very unnecessary communication, given the dangerous circumstances. And that might even be the case of much messaging that takes place outside of driving. It mostly a gizmo-driven exercise.
Again, passing laws to prohibit such use of a phone while driving will have minimum effect as most people will only consider it a strong suggestion. And also, there is the problem of actually catching someone doing it.

This is where we should apply common sense. This is where we should be talking to our teen-agers particularly about the serious nature of operating a vehicle, maybe even using the example of two guided missiles. Perhaps it would make an impact to take them to a junk yard and let them view the results of an actual crash. And maybe the documented carnage would make further impact.

Common sense, however, does not run rampant in comparison with the rapid development of modern devices and gizmos. Still, we must take every opportunity to educate motorists — young and old — on the aforementioned dangers.
For more information:

www.safetytrack.net/st-300

2011-09-08T14:02:00.000-04:00

Given the option of contesting a traffic ticket, most motorists – 19 out of 20 by some estimates – would rather pay up than pit their word against a police officer's in court.

A retired sheriff's deputy nevertheless hopes to beat the long odds of the law by setting the performance of a police officer's radar gun against the accuracy of the GPS tracking device he installed in his teenage stepson's car.

The retired deputy, Roger Rude, readily admits his 17-year-old stepson, Shaun Malone, enjoys putting the pedal to the metal. That's why he and Shaun's mother insisted on putting a global positioning system that monitors the location and speed of the boy's Toyota Celica.

Shaun complained bitterly about his electronic chaperone until it became his new best friend on July 4, when he was pulled over and cited for going 62 mph in a 45 mph zone.

Rude encouraged him to fight the ticket after the log he downloaded using software provided by the GPS unit's Colorado-based supplier showed Shaun was going the speed limit within 100 feet of where a Petaluma officer clocked him speeding.

"I'm not trying to get a guilty kid off," Rude said. "I've always had faith in our justice system. I would like to see the truth prevail and I would like Shaun to see that the system works."

Though traffic courts do not routinely accept GPS readouts as evidence of a vehicle's speed – and many GPS receivers aren't capable of keeping records anyway – some tech-savvy drivers around the world slowly are starting to use the technology to challenge moving violations, according to anecdotal accounts from defense lawyers and law enforcement officials.

This summer, for instance, an Australian farmer became a hero to speeders everywhere when he got a ticket dismissed after presenting police with data from his tracking device.

While winning a case this way is far from a sure thing, GPS-generated evidence could at least inject an element of doubt into typically one-sided proceedings, said Jim Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association.

A Sonoma County traffic commissioner is expected to rule within the next two weeks whether to dismiss Shaun's ticket based on Rude's written argument that the motorcycle officer's radar gun was either improperly calibrated or thrown off by another speeding car.

"Radar is a pretty good tool, but it's not an infallible tool," said Rude, who spent 31 years in law enforcement. "With the GPS tracker, there is no doubt about it. There is no human interference."

Rude plans to offer scientific data and experts if his challenge doesn't succeed right away.

Petaluma police Lt. John Edwards said he could not discuss Shaun's case but disputed Rude's contention that GPS is more accurate than a speed gun.

"GPS works on satellite signals, so you have a delay of some type," Edwards said. "Is it a couple-second delay? A 30-second delay? Because in that time people can speed up, slow down."

The device in Shaun's car, originally designed for trucking companies, rental car agencies and other businesses with fleets, sends a signal every 30 seconds that records his whereabouts and travel speed.

His parents signed up to be automatically notified by e-mail whenever he exceeded 70 mph, and the one time he did he lost his driving privileges for 10 days.

Rude said he is talking about the ticket – Shaun has tried to stay out of it – to encourage other parents to keep tabs on their teenage drivers using GPS. He said he has told too many parents their child was killed in a wreck.

David W. Brown, a Monterey lawyer and author of "Fight Your Ticket in California," said attacking the reliability of radar guns does not usually get speeders very far, especially if they are unwilling to devote extra time and money to hiring legal experts.

Still, among people who do challenge tickets, the proportion who triumph is relatively large, he said. Their technique? Betting the officer who cited them will be unable to make it to court.

"Statistically, when people do prevail, that is the most common method," he said.

2011-08-01T13:39:00.000-04:00

Speed is major factor in deaths of young drivers in car crashes

By Connie Skipitares

Mercury News

Article Launched: 11/25/2007 01:38:09 AM PST

Vicky Mlyniec's heart broke all over again when she heard the news three weeks ago that two brothers in her Santa Cruz Mountains community had died at the hands of a speeding driver.

The crash forced her to relive the painful night in August when her own son, 18-year-old Nate Mlyniec, who was about to enter the University of California-Davis and dreamed of becoming a chef, died when his speeding car slammed into a tree on his way home.

"It hit us like a ton of bricks," Mlyniec said of the Nov. 3 deaths of the two brothers. "It took us right back to Nate's accident. It's a nightmare that continues for us as I'm sure it does for the other families."

The deaths of brothers Tyler Barclay, 18, and Shane Barclay, 22, only 2 1/2 months after Nate's fatal crash, shook the tightknit mountain community above Los Gatos, where all the young men grew up. Nate and Tyler had attended Los Gatos High School.

Four other South Bay deaths in July caused by a 19-year-old who was speeding on a narrow country road in Almaden Valley also shattered that community of neighbors, friends and school classmates.

None of the three recent crashes involved drinking or drugs.

"The No. 1 reason teenagers die is car crashes," said Gayle Shank, a Los Gatos High School driver's education teacher. "And the major reason is they're going too fast."

Deaths caused by speeding teens happen at a far greater rate than those caused by intoxicated teens. And a

much larger number of speeding drivers are male than female.

In 2005, the latest figures available, 38 percent of 15- to 20-year-old male drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Twenty-four percent of young male drivers in fatal accidents had been under the influence, with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or higher. The .08 level is the legal limit for adults.

However, there's some encouraging news: Overall, the teenage death rate from car crashes has gone down over the past three decades - 47 percent among males and 19 percent among females, thanks to school and law enforcement programs and restrictions on teen driving in the first year of licensing.

But it doesn't feel that way to an educator like Shank. "When this happens in your community among your students, it feels overwhelming. It feels like it's everywhere," she said.

What is it that fuels an adolescent boy's need for speed?

"They think they're invincible," said Sgt. Les Bishop of the California Highway Patrol. "They think 'nothing's going to happen to me.' It's just how teenagers look at life at their age."

Inexperienced drivers

Lack of driving experience also is a key factor in teen crashes. Teen drivers are involved in more fatal crashes and crashes causing serious injuries in the first year of becoming licensed that any older driving group, Bishop said. The difference between the skills and maturity of a 16-year-old - when full licensing can occur - and a 17-year-old driver is fairly dramatic, he added.

Teen drivers are more likely to underestimate hazardous situations and not be able to recognize them because of their inexperience as drivers, Bishop said.

He also blames our "daredevil" society that feeds on Hollywood action movies with extreme stunts. "It gives kids a sense of adventure that's unreal."

A powerful lesson for many teens is a two-day program sponsored by the CHP called "Every 15 Minutes," he said. Although the program emphasizes the harm of drinking and driving, its lesson is also about any high-risk behavior that results in death, including speeding and reckless driving.

The event involves students staging a fatal collision, mock arrests and a mock funeral of one of their own classmates.

"I'll hear kids say 'I never thought about it that way,' like it really sunk in for them," Bishop said. "And there's always some who say 'that's never going to happen to me.' "

But those pronouncements are often short-lived.

"Some kids may get the message and they can carry it for several months," Shank said. "But some never learn the lesson."

She recalled the 2002 death of 18-year-old Los Gatos High student Eric Quesada, a passenger in a car that crashed that was driven by a 16-year-old friend who had been drinking. Quesada's death shattered the high school community, where he was a popular senior. That crash also occurred on a narrow rural road - Hicks Road in Los Gatos.

"There was such a huge upset here at school," Shank said. "Everybody felt it. A lot of kids said they wouldn't drink at parties anymore.

But a week after Quesada's death, students talked about attending parties where there was drinking, she said.

Teen programs

Short memories about such tragedies may end up being the case with the recent teen deaths. But school officials continue to host programs that target risky teen behavior. Last week, Los Gatos High students participated in such a program, facing a real life example of dangerous behavior with the deaths of Tyler and Shane Barclay.

The 17-year-old driver of the car in which the brothers died was injured in the crash, but is expected to recover. He is the cousin - and best friend - of the two who perished. In the Almaden tragedy in July, 19-year-old Erik Satterstrom and his 18-year-old friend Max Harding died when Satterstrom drove his Nissan 350Z down two-lane Graystone Lane, losing control and slamming into Paul and Uma Batra, a couple on a stroll.

Vicky Mlyniec has a hard time accepting that her son, a responsible teenager, did something so foolhardy. His friends said he was the last person they could see speeding.

According to a CHP report, her son drove down a straight portion of two-lane Summit Road at about 70 miles per hour, well above the 35 mph speed limit. It was 2 a.m. and no one else was on the road near his home, a road he felt comfortable driving.

The teenager apparently hit his brakes for some reason. His car swerved, he lost control and slammed into a tree.

"You look at the road, it's a straight road, and it's hard to just go 35," the mother said. "Even adults will go faster."

Still, she said, Nate's speed "was indefensible. . . . It doesn't matter if you are habitually risky or do this one time, like Nate did. Once is all it takes. There are no second chances. "

Mlyniec and her husband can hardly bear to drive past the site of the crash. They take back roads to avoid passing the tree.

Shank said one way to reduce teen driver fatalities might be delaying licensing until teens turn 17, rather than 16, because of the extra year of maturity.

Bishop said a lot of discussion about risky driving should happen at home between teens and their parents. While that is useful, Bishop asked: "Is that going to change a teenager? Probably not. There's still some who are going to go out and do whatever they're going to do, no matter what the consequences."

2011-05-01T14:21:00.000-04:00

As a parent of a teen driver, I find that having the ability to track her has giving us the ability to show her some of the event s that can cause problem. Knowing the exact speed that she is going, helps in reminder her that these types of events can lead to problems; reduce fuel economy is one, risk of speeding tickets, or the higher potential of being involved in an accident. All the statistics show that teen driver are involved in more fatal accidents than any other age group. The ST-300 is an amazing tracking device.

As a parent, we have even gone to the extreme and installed an in vehicle car camera from Safety Track to show just how distracted teen drivers can be while driving. If it isn’t the radio, it could be the phone, or worse yet, texting. You would be surprised just how comfortable these teen drivers get while driving. Being able to ride along with your teen driver can give you a better idea of what is really going in the car. The funny part is that they forget they are being video tape after about 30 minute in the car.

Anyway, as a parent we need to take part in helping our teen drivers see that driving a 4000 lb piece of metal can be dangerous and needs to be taken seriously.

2011-04-20T11:30:00.000-04:00

Tracking a teen driver is a new phenomenon. Parents having Teen Drivers, who feel they want to drive and keep their independence, now have a device that can keep both sides feeling good about this.

The ST-300, from Safety Track, is a small, self-contained, real-time tracking unit. Unlike other devices, it simply plugs into the OBDII plug of your car. It is simple to use, with its web based interface. All you do is just log into your account from any internet connected computers and view the parents vehicle in real-time.

This is a cost effective solution to the ever present problem of “should I let my Teen drive”?

Valor System » GPS Fleet Tracking and Management System – Fleet Safety – In-Vehicle Car Camera – Janus

2010-08-12T13:54:00.000-04:00

You have to check this out. It is a in vehicle car camera that video tape the driver and what he sees. Pretty Cool.
Stop your kids from texting or just fooling around in the car.

Valor System » GPS Fleet Tracking and Management System – Fleet Safety – In-Vehicle Car Camera – Janus

2010-08-10T11:01:00.000-04:00

Having a 18 year old daughter is bad enough. Now let her drive. Remember the freedom of having your own car? Calling your friends and off you go. Except today there are so more problems that face young drivers. Texting, talking on the phone, drinking, distraction of all sorts. Not being able to track my daughter when she drives would be like not breathing. She hates it, but that's the price she apys for having a car to drive. http://www.safetytrack.net/ provided the needed tracking system that allows us to fine her when we need her. See hoe fast she is driving and if she gets lost, like 18 year olds do, help her fine her way. Affordable.

2009-08-15T11:30:00.000-04:00

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the U.S.
The National Safety Council sees the issue as a national crisis.
We have segmented the problem into three distinct areas, and have adopted strategies to address each of them:

Reduce teen drivers' exposure to risk
Modify risky driving behavior
Develop driver skills and experience
Reducing risk

We're on a mission to inform parents of teen drivers that they can beat the odds. In November 2002, papers prepared by acknowledged experts were presented at the "Symposium on Graduated Driver Licensing: Documenting the Science of GDL." The proceedings provide a comprehensive review of the research that has been done on teenage driver safety issues.
Since the symposium was held, the National Safety Council and its partners in teen driving safety have been distilling the scientific research to present the facts to driver safety professionals and to families, using a variety of methods,
Our new Alive at 25 Parent Program is developed specifically for parents of new drivers. This innovative 3-hour course helps parents partner with their teens to help them become safe, responsible, and defensive drivers.
The new Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety is one way we are helping families understand the truth about risks, and the practical wisdom of graduated privileges.
NSC and its local chapters will be holding parent workshops to introduce the Family Guide to parents. If you are interested in attending a workshop in your area, please send us an e-mail at support@nsc.org with your name, address and phone number. A representative from the NSC chapter in your area will contact you.
Each year, the Journal of Safety Research® publishes articles summarizing recent graduated driver licensing and tee driver research..
This collection of web pages is another way. We will be adding to the information here, so be sure up sign up with your e-mail address to receive reminders to check back for new content.

Modifying risky behavior

Traffic safety programs for teens are often designed to help teens modify their own driving behavior to reduce risk of crashes. But we know that many teens have difficulty regulating their risk-taking behavior, and recent research is beginning to give us insight into why. Researchers are finding that the area of the brain that governs weighing consequences of one’s actions, suppressing impulses and organizing thoughts does not fully mature until about age 25. In addition, hormones are active and influencing the brain’s neurochemicals that regulate excitability and mood. This can result in thrill-seeking behavior and other experiences that create intense feelings, during years when the brain’s ability to make people more responsible is not yet fully mature. It’s also during these years that teenagers typically learn to drive.
A balanced approach to traffic safety for young drivers should not depend entirely on teens regulating their own driving behavior. Many factors influence teen driving, including friends and peer pressure, a belief in invincibility, and physiological changes. Defensive Driving Course-Alive at 25 can help teens deal with these issues that can influence their driving behavior.

Developing skills

Driver education programs can prepare young people to drive and can play a role in helping teens to begin developing driving skills. However, completion of driver education does not mean that teens are then ready to manage a full range of driving challenges. What research shows is more important to safe driving is the opportunity to improve driving skills through gradual exposure to increasingly-challenging driving tasks. Teens become safer drivers as they build driving experience and develop safe driving habits and behaviors. Driver education can help provide the foundation for safe behaviors through knowledge and practicing beginning skills. Driver education should be viewed as the beginning of a process through which teens learn valuable driving skills and the experience necessary to make them safe drivers. Parents should not rely solely on driver education to provide teens the significant knowledge and experience that they need to become safe drivers. Too often, completing driver education is viewed as the end of the learning process, rather than the beginning. In some states, the completion of driver education qualifies a teen for full driving privileges. The National Safety Council believes this is not a wise approach. Research has shown that significant hours of behind-the-wheel experience are necessary to reduce crash involvement risk. In the process of obtaining that experience through the first two years of driving, the risk of crash involvement can be reduced through state-imposed graduated licensing and parental restrictions.

The National Safety Council www.nsc.org

2008-11-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

Since the inception of GPS Tracking and Fleet Tracking, there has not been a unit that can provide large fleet trailer owner with the reliable tracking and scalable management of their trailer fleet.Battery life has long been the Achilles heel of the trailer tracking unit. Many units were very reliable, yet the battery life would last only a few days to a few months. Some even tried solar power units in an effort to breach this gap in the trailer tracking oasis.One unit now claims to have battery life of up to ten years. TEN YEARS!!! With full online reporting and 6 updates a day, this unit bridges the gap of functionality and form. This seems to be an answer to the long awaited question, How They Do That? The unit is very compact and low in profile. 6.3” X 9.2” X 1.77”. It can be fitted on any trailer, either vertically or horizontally. Log in and “see” what you have been missingTrailer tracking has now met its match.

2006-02-05T07:18:00.000-05:00

Safety Track of Michigan Releases New Website Offering Parents a Way to Keep Track of Teen Drivers.

Belleville, MI -- May 27, 2005 --Since its inception, the driver’s license has been a rite of passage from the teenage into the adult years and has always struck terror in the hearts of parents. Safety Track of Michigan understands this concern and has made it their mission to replace this terror with a sense of calmness.
Technology that was developed for the United States Military is now available for families; offering a comfort and tranquility uncommon in parents of teenage drivers. The Safety Track System is an automated vehicle tracking and control system that uses today's GPS (Global Positioning System), wireless communication and Internet technologies to keep you in the know. The system follows vehicle movement – anywhere in North America, at any time – and generates an online location report of the vehicle’s last known position, including the street address if available. The printable report includes the amount of time the vehicle was at a location, the speeds en route and the direction in which the vehicle was traveling.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Many crashes are the result of inexperienced drivers operating vehicles under dangerously excessive speeds. Safety Track doesn’t just give parents crucial information; it puts parents in the car with their children at all times.
Careless driving is only one of the aspects that cause parents undue distress. The other aspect is not knowing where our children are once they have left our house. Safety Track takes this wondering away. At any time, parents can log on to www.safetytrack.net and access a detailed map showing exactly where their car is located, providing the car has not left the North American continent.
The Safety Track system is now extremely affordable for the average family. Each system includes a 2” x 2” x 4” receiver that is installed out of sight under a vehicle’s dashboard.
For further information visit the Safety track website at www.safetytrack.net or contact Safety Track at 734-699-7633 or via e-mail at customerservice@safetytrack.net. Safety Track of Michigan is a woman-owned business that was established in 2002 to help small businesses maintain control of fleet vehicles.