The American teenager is hardwired to want to get behind the wheel of the family car, or, better yet, their own car, and take off looking for fun and adventure. “Parents of teenagers have struggled with their teen children driving inclinations for the past one hundred years, ever since Henry Ford started rolling his Model T off the assembly lines in Detroit,” according to best pediatric doctors in Utah. And while there are no hard and fast rules about teaching and tracking teen drivers, it’s a sure bet that most parents are going to remain anxious about their adolescents when they are away from home and behind the wheel.
Life360 is just one of dozens of smartphone apps available today to help parents track their adolescent’s driving habits and patterns, and help them decide how much leeway to give them. The app tells parents what route teenage drives have taken, and pinpoints where they are in real time. It can also indicate if there are any major mechanical problems with the vehicle.
Teenagers, of course, resent the invasion of their privacy by any app or device that makes them nothing but a ‘blip’ on their parent’s radar. Issues of trust and responsibility also enter into negotiations between parents and teenagers who want to, and often NEED to drive.
It is best to negotiate on a case-by-case basis with each of your teenagers. A policy that works for one, will not always work for another.
