Teen Driver Technology Aims to Keep Teenagers and Parents’ Worries at Bay

Parents are always worried to give the keys of their first car to teenagers, given all the accidents teens are involved nowadays. But a new technology aims to help keep parents’ worries at bay when teenagers are out cruising in their new car.

General Motors seems to have introduced a new system dubbed ‘Teen Driver’ at the New York auto show, having it been added in the new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. It is said that the system aims in encouraging safe driving habits for kids. The company states that their system is aimed at helping parents teach their teens the valuable rules of driving safely in their new car.

“It’s a programmable feature that encourages safe driving habits in a number of ways,” GM safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe.

The technology is said to include trip monitoring that parents can review, giving information about the maximum speeds, distance driven and the number of times active safety features were enabled. The ‘Teen Driver’ is also said to allow parents to set a maximum speed anywhere between 72 to 120 KM/h, which in turn will set a visual and audio chime in the car if exceeded.

Other safety features includes the car radio being disabled until the seatbelts are buckled and smartphones connected to the car’s stereo system set on ‘do not disturb’ mode. The new technology could be a step forward in the right direction, but many seem to believe that the best safety precaution is just teaching proper driving skills.

“We do think we need to know the skills before you start relying a bit more on the technology,” says Ian Jack of the Canadian Automobile Association.

US statistics reveal that crash fatalities of 16 to 19 year-old is three times the rate compared to drivers of age 20 or over. The new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu model will debt at the New York Auto Show in April and is expected to hit the market by the end of this year.

Thank you CTV News for providing us with this information