50% Of Dad and mom Use Driver Monitoring Apps with Teenagers

Virtually 50% of fogeys with new teen drivers use a monitoring app to monitor their youngster’s exercise on the highway, in line with a brand new USAA survey. The survey, carried out by Endeavor Analytics and YouGov, uncovered knowledge about why mother and father imagine monitoring apps assist their teenagers preserve a safer highway presence.

Ninety-three % of collaborating mother and father with drivers ages of 16 to twenty fear about their youngster taking the automotive out–pointing to issues like distracted driving, particularly because of telephone use, and total inexperience behind the wheel.

Different notable findings embrace:

• 86% of respondents say they verify the app that screens their teen’s driving no less than weekly.
• 49% of respondents monitor the app every day.
• 87% of respondents who report utilizing a monitoring app really feel their youngster’s driving improved consequently.   

Dad and mom particularly report that utilizing a monitoring app helps improve their teen’s consciousness of their driving habits because of parental suggestions, in addition to real-time suggestions from the expertise.

Advantages of Utilizing Driver Monitoring Apps

Based on Randy Termeer, President, Property and Casualty Insurance coverage at USAA, driving apps do extra than simply supply mother and father peace of thoughts.

“These apps additionally assist teenagers change into extra aware of their very own conduct behind the wheel,” he tells Dad and mom.

Termeer explains that apps enhance youngsters’ habits behind the wheel as a result of they know their actions are being tracked. “This expertise fosters higher communication between mother and father and youths, making it simpler to debate areas of concern and reinforcing protected driving habits. For many, it helped them acknowledge that they should be extra aware of their actions on the highway.”

He provides an instance of the kind of suggestions a driving app gives: “As soon as the journey concludes, each mother and father and youngster can assessment driving behaviors comparable to harsh braking and telephone distractions, offering an opportunity for constructive discussions.”

Termeer is aware of about these doubtlessly powerful conversations firsthand as a father or mother of two teen drivers.

“Information from driving apps helps take the emotion out of it—it’s not simply your opinion however actual, goal info,” he says. “This makes discussions extra productive, providing clear objectives for enchancment.”

Invoice Van Tassel, PhD, Supervisor of Driver Coaching Operations for AAA, says utilizing a driver monitoring app may assist to foster a way of partnership by accountability between father or mother and youngster throughout this difficult new time. Teenagers may even monitor their mother and father’ driving exercise. Dr. Van Tassel suggests placing a household protected driving problem in place to make accountable highway exercise enjoyable for everybody. 

In the meantime, the app “Will help give teenagers an ‘out’ in opposition to peer strain to drive unsafely,” Dr. Van Tassel tells Dad and mom. As an illustration, a teen may say to a peer, “If I pace, my mother and father will discover out instantly.”

Why Driver Monitoring Apps Might Not Be for Everybody

Whereas I acknowledge the advantages of driver monitoring apps, and I fear every day in regards to the dangers of my daughter’s new driving freedom, I don’t plan to make use of the expertise. 

Name me quaint, however I really feel monitoring my teen’s exercise behind the wheel is an invasion of her privateness. In my view, she has earned the best to take pleasure in some independence, particularly since she took her yr of studying with a allow very significantly, and she or he enrolled in a multi-day driving course. What’s extra, the state says she will be able to legally function a car.

All of that stated, I after all perceive my daughter is inexperienced. However all of us had been in some unspecified time in the future! I’ll add that since she’s a brand new driver, we restrict the place she is allowed to go for now—and her privileges will improve as she beneficial properties expertise. 

Another excuse I don’t use a monitoring app is that I don’t assume I’d do effectively with the expertise, as it might solely serve to intensify my nervousness about my daughter being on the highway. I think about myself checking the app incessantly to the purpose of obsession—not good!

Yaranil Ferrer, a licensed scientific social employee in New Jersey, agrees.

“Checking the app in an try to alleviate nervousness could be a potential drawback for fogeys,” she says. “If nervousness peaks however is relieved by checking, there’s a potential for compulsive and obsessive behaviors.”

Her recommendation? “Understanding why you’re using the app within the first place and connecting that with the values you wish to dwell by can assist you get to a spot of intentional use of the app that provides to you and your loved ones’s life and wellbeing.”

Whereas Ferrer agrees driver monitoring apps supply loads of upside, she additionally says, “If these apps are used as a way of surveillance, that is when this may change into a difficulty because the app turns into an influence and management tactic, which may result in points inside the parent-child relationship.”

Dr. Van Tassel provides, “It’s most likely finest for fogeys to not rely completely on an app to observe how their teen’s driving talents and habits are evolving.”

He recommends getting within the automotive together with your youngster from time to time after they’re driving, even after they’ve their license, so rhythms of belief and good driving habits are fashioned.

Ideas for Maximizing Your Teen Driver’s Security

Whether or not or not you select to make use of a driver monitoring app, specialists supply some suggestions for making certain your younger driver is protected on the market on the roadways:

• Help your teen with instructions earlier than they hit the highway: This may embrace looking accessible routes with them earlier than getting within the automotive, and inputing the tackle into the gps collectively earlier than sending them off.
• Instruct them to set telephones to “don’t disturb” mode whereas driving: On the very least, encourage them to verify in with you as soon as they’ve arrived to their vacation spot. Or if they should contact somebody, use voice textual content solely.
• Recommend making a music playlist forward of time: This could be a enjoyable method for them to chill out without having to fret about altering the channel on the radio. For instance, they’ll create a playlist for his or her commute to high school.
• Encourage teenagers to drag over to deal with any potential distractions: Together with dropping a telephone underneath the seat or coping with a bug that flies into the automotive whereas they’re driving.

Lastly, Ferrer says that with regards to a teen’s driving, mother and father want to acknowledge what they’re doing proper. 

“We will get so targeted on what wants enchancment that we neglect to take discover of what is going on effectively,” she says. “When addressing any considerations, remember to level out the place they’re enhancing and even excelling.”