Monday 8 November 2010

Keeping Tracks - How far is too far?

Chrysler have just announced a new phone device to help with vehicle theft protection. If your Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep is moved when you're not in it (ie. stolen) you'll get a text message. Not quite sure what the text message will say, nor what you are supposed to do about it, but this device is also being touted as a means of keeping track of your wannabee Evil Knieval teen.

See, the system allows you to choose the speed at which your car is travelling when it decides to text you.  So if your crazy teen decides to race the friend in the next lane, or just loses concentration because of excessive head-banging and general high jinks in the drivers' seat, you'll get a text. Again, not quite sure what you're supposed to do at this point since the last thing you'll want is to distract errant teen further by texting back or phoning. Perhaps they should put one of those disablers in the car too, so that you can just flash them a quick warning that the engine is being cut and advise them to pull over to the hard shoulder to cool off?


Personally, I think it's not a bad idea that teens know that we know when they're driving recklessly. If it potentially saves their lives, I'd do it in the blink of an eye.

What say you?


PS - Here's a few links to help keep your teen driver safe.
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5 comments:

  1. Considering we just got our son a car and he gets his license this week - thanks for the links! I'm off to see them all.

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  2. Hey I could hide one of those in the car and then ring Sock Dropper and tell him I KNOW he has reverted to driving like an Italian.

    Me want.

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  3. Eldest's friends are becoming old enough to learn to drive and she is talking about them all being able to go off under their own steam: I am trying not to think about it. And deffinitely not about mad teen drivers having a race. I can't go there yet!

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  4. One of our friends installed this device in their car for their teen driver. It seems to be an effective deterrent to speed.

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