Reader comments
West Valley's inthinc can help keep an eye on teen drivers

Josh | 3:13 a.m. May 28, 2009

Here's a hint, parents: If you don't trust your kid with the car, save yourself about 600 bucks and DON'T LET THEM DRIVE IT.

Or hey, throw some money at the problem.

Intimidation of driver | 5:17 a.m. May 28, 2009

This all sounds good but it can have some opposite effects on teen drivers or any driver. If parents are that worried about their teens driving then the teens are not ready to drive on their own. A monitoring device can be very subtractive to a new driver and do more harm than good. Why not just put a tracking collar on these drivers to monitor their children? It takes away from the trust of families too.

What I do agree with about this story is that most teens do not get enough training and experience in driving before they are turned loose on the highways and roads. They tend to develop bad driving habits without some proper input as to why these habits are bad and unsafe. Their driving inexperience, accidents, and violations bear this out. You don't hand a kid a loaded gun and tell them not to pull the trigger, at some point they will pull the trigger.

1984 | 7:28 a.m. May 28, 2009

If you know you're being watched, you're less likely to break the law...

Hrm...

We should employ that method everywhere. No civil liberty concerns there...

Comments continue below

Not SoPessimistic | 9:28 a.m. May 28, 2009

@Intimidation of Driver (and everyone, I suppose)

It's a proven fact that these types of devices do indeed help drivers curb their "bad habits." This device has the potential to not only save the child's life, but other drivers on the road as well. Kids drive recklessly; there's no question there. Some adults STILL drive recklessly. Why? Because they learned bad habits early on in their driving lives. If this device can save ONE life, it's absolutely worth the cost.

You are right about one thing; it CAN have a negative affect. At that point, it's up to driver to change his or her habit. If they don't, it's the responsibility of the parents to say, "Ya know what? No keys for you. Turn them over."

I'm sure this isn't designed to be a "fail-safe" device; however, the intent is good enough that it merits attention on a very large scale.

Nunya | 10:22 a.m. May 28, 2009

Obviously the device has good and bad, but the fact is that if you know you are being watched you will be on your best behavior so you don't get in trouble. No teen wants to lose their keys. The biggest problem with the whole thing is the parent has to utilize it as well and actually monitor what the teen does in the car.

Hatuletoh | 10:42 a.m. May 28, 2009

You know who's also going to love this? Ambulance chasers, er, I mean "personal injury attorneys". As it usually goes with new technology, there are probably few laws restricting access to the information on these devices when some semi-legit lawyer wants to have a look.

Anonymous | 10:45 a.m. May 28, 2009

As a parent of a sixteen year old driver, I say, "Bravo". If it saves even one life, and I think it will, this device is a must have.

To: Hatuletoh | 11:41 a.m. May 28, 2009

I think you misunderstood how this device functions. Someone (like a parent) has to buy it and choose to place it on their own car. How will ambulance chasers benefit from this? Will lawyers be allowed to place them inside ambulances and then retrieve the history on them? Or will lawyers be allowed to use the info on them when there was an accident and if the person in an accident did nothing wrong according to the device it will increase the chances of the other person being at fault? Come on.

Logical Fallacy | 12:20 p.m. May 28, 2009

Hey Person Above Me,
The "If It Saves Even One Life" argument could justify just about anything. I.E. Let's raise the minimum driving age to 25! If it saves even one life, it must be worth it!

What Ever Works | 1:35 p.m. May 28, 2009

Could we all just commend a local business for a job well done? Not only are they looking out for our future they are also keeping there employees employed?

MJH79 | 1:36 p.m. May 28, 2009

I think we need special lanes for teenagers that have bumpers on both sides, like bowling lanes. My son thinks he is a good driver, but scares the crap out of me.

doclouie | 2:06 p.m. May 28, 2009

This sounds like a really good product. It may not be for everyone, but it could help a lot of drivers out there. I know that I did a lot of stupid stuff in a car when I was young even though I was taught to drive correctly. This would have saved me some tickets and I am just lucky that something worse did not happen. It really comes down to a parent's responsibility to say when someone is ready to drive or not, but someday ready or not kids will become adults and drive either way. I am totally for this type of technology.

dh65 | 8:49 p.m. May 28, 2009

This device is long overdue! Thanks for being the ones to bring it to us--hopefully it will have increased usage through the years and teens will grow to expect to be watched when they're most vulnerable and still learning!

Soul | 2:33 a.m. May 29, 2009

I laughed when I read this article because some "adult drivers" seriously need the tracking device. Also DUI offenders at their own $600 expense!

As for new drivers, even with the best training in the world, I don't trust my own teenager's driving skills yet. That trust comes with experience and it is earned through several years of safe driving.

This device is a good thing but so expensive still.

G | 10:37 a.m. May 29, 2009

Installing a GPS tracking system is a not-very-subtle way of telling your kid, employees, etc, *exactly* how much you trust them and what you think of their decision-making ability.

While it might save some lives, I'm sure it will make some interesting dinner conversation too.

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