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As a parent, the safety of your children must always be one of your highest priorities, even when they reach adolescence, approach college age and head out on their own as independent-minded young adults. That journey toward independence involves driving. As new drivers fulfill driver's education requirements, they gain freedom even as they take on new responsibility. And you as a parent also gain freedom, since you're no longer going to be responsible for picking them up and dropping them off at any number of school activities and friends' houses or driving them to or from college.
But it's impossible, and rightly so, for you to entirely give up your concerns for your young driver’s safety. With this in mind, you may want to act preemptively and select a first car for your teenager that comes equipped with systems allowing you to monitor their motoring habits. Let’s take a look:
Speed warnings and restrictions
For younger drivers, speeding can be an easy temptation to give in to, so these features may be the most interesting to parents.
One system offered by Chevrolet allows parents to program the car, setting various limits on drivers' behavior, according to Edmunds, an online automotive information database. Among those restrictions is the ability to send warnings when a driver approaches the programmed limit – up to 75 mph – and record instances when motorists ignore these notifications. The latter allows parents to know when kids have been speeding whether they admit it or not.
Ford’s system, by contrast, will allow you to set hard, unbreakable limits on teen drivers’ speeds – programmable for 65, 70, 75 and 80 mph, according to Ford’s official website.
Programmable performance controls
With all of the distractions and uncertainties on the road it is important for a young driver to be alert. Even if they need a little back up. Most systems for remote vehicle control and monitoring ensure that automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors and stability features can't be shut off. Many also have seat-belt reminders that blare every 30 seconds if kids don’t buckle up.
Specifics will vary depending on the car’s manufacturer. As an example, many new Toyota vehicles are equipped with a program that offers automated adaptive cruise control, lane departure and pre-collision warnings, pedestrian detection and automatic high beams, according to auto industry publication Car and Driver.
Content filters and volume restrictions
Not all teen-driver safety hazards are on the road itself or related to the vehicle’s mechanics. Music can be distracting by its sheer volume, or if your young driver’s favorite new song comes on and he or she focuses too intently on singing along.
That’s where volume restrictions come in. If your son or daughter’s vehicle has programmable features, you may be able to set a hard cap for the stereo system’s volume. You can also turn on filters to block satellite radio stations with explicit content.
To mitigate a problem with texting and driving, try enabling the "Do Not Disturb While Driving" feature recently added to Apple iOS 11 and Google's Pixel 2 phones. This proactive approach is an app that mutes incoming calls, texts, and notifications when the motion of a car or the vehicle's Bluetooth is detected. While some features can still be accessible in this mode, like navigation prompts, all other functions that are typically a distraction while driving are silenced. Parents can even set the "Do Not Disturb While Driving" parental controls so teens are not tempted to turn it off.
But it's impossible, and rightly so, for you to entirely give up your concerns for your young driver’s safety. With this in mind, you may want to act preemptively and select a first car for your teenager that comes equipped with systems allowing you to monitor their motoring habits. Let’s take a look:
Speed warnings and restrictions
For younger drivers, speeding can be an easy temptation to give in to, so these features may be the most interesting to parents.
One system offered by Chevrolet allows parents to program the car, setting various limits on drivers' behavior, according to Edmunds, an online automotive information database. Among those restrictions is the ability to send warnings when a driver approaches the programmed limit – up to 75 mph – and record instances when motorists ignore these notifications. The latter allows parents to know when kids have been speeding whether they admit it or not.
Ford’s system, by contrast, will allow you to set hard, unbreakable limits on teen drivers’ speeds – programmable for 65, 70, 75 and 80 mph, according to Ford’s official website.
Programmable performance controls
With all of the distractions and uncertainties on the road it is important for a young driver to be alert. Even if they need a little back up. Most systems for remote vehicle control and monitoring ensure that automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors and stability features can't be shut off. Many also have seat-belt reminders that blare every 30 seconds if kids don’t buckle up.
Specifics will vary depending on the car’s manufacturer. As an example, many new Toyota vehicles are equipped with a program that offers automated adaptive cruise control, lane departure and pre-collision warnings, pedestrian detection and automatic high beams, according to auto industry publication Car and Driver.
Content filters and volume restrictions
Not all teen-driver safety hazards are on the road itself or related to the vehicle’s mechanics. Music can be distracting by its sheer volume, or if your young driver’s favorite new song comes on and he or she focuses too intently on singing along.
That’s where volume restrictions come in. If your son or daughter’s vehicle has programmable features, you may be able to set a hard cap for the stereo system’s volume. You can also turn on filters to block satellite radio stations with explicit content.
To mitigate a problem with texting and driving, try enabling the "Do Not Disturb While Driving" feature recently added to Apple iOS 11 and Google's Pixel 2 phones. This proactive approach is an app that mutes incoming calls, texts, and notifications when the motion of a car or the vehicle's Bluetooth is detected. While some features can still be accessible in this mode, like navigation prompts, all other functions that are typically a distraction while driving are silenced. Parents can even set the "Do Not Disturb While Driving" parental controls so teens are not tempted to turn it off.
