Teen Creates Device to Track Speeding

An anonymous reader writes "A teen in Massachusetts has created a device that he hopes will help prevent traffic fatalities among teenagers. The unit plugs into a car and uses GPS to track and report on speeding — but only while the car exceeds a limit set by parents, so as to minimize invasion of the teen's privacy."

Re:Untill...

[D-Cypell]

This is exactly what I would do. Get job, buy and maintain own car, earn privacy. Besides, there is a huge difference between knowing where your car (and child) is and evesdropping on their conversations etc.

Even at the age of 25 I am starting to think that the world we be better off if children had a few less freedoms. I probably would have felt different 10 years ago however :).

Re:So? Unplug it.

[Anonymous Coward]

First, it's a GPS device. It doesn't need to be connected to the car to measure how fast it's going. Second, it could record when it's connected/disconnected from the car (to avoid that the teen leaves it at a friend's house while going on a speeding tour.) Alternatively it could simply be bolted on an run on battery. GPS trackers aren't exactly battery hogs.

Re:Oh, please.

[Firehed]

I'd kill for a mod point right now. And by kill, I mean some sort of responsible alternative, since my morals thankfully weren't outsourced.

I'm not sure that's the answer

[symbolic]

Much of teen driving problems come from two sources: overconfidence, and distractions. Some states have laws that permit only a certain number of people in the car at certain stages of the licencing process- and they do that for a reason. Teens are notorious for packing friends into a car to go out and 'have a good time', but the passengers become a major source of distraction. Despite what young drivers may think of their abilities, they need to concentrate on driving, and worry about having 'fun' after they exit the vehicle.

Re:Privacy?

[kfg]

The car is legally the parents responsibility.

My first car, bought when I was 16, was paid for with my own money, earned at my own full time job. Same for the insurance. My license was at my parent's behest, but not my car.

The teen is legally the parents responsibility.

This is likely true, but not necessarily. And a seperate issue. In any case the teen almost certainly has the right to come and go as s/he pleases at 16, whether the parent realizes this or not.

Teach your parents well.

KFG

Re:The Problem with GPS and Speending...

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with GPS and speeding is that it detects when you go above a speed limit (whether it be the one defined by traffic law, or in this case by your parents) but it cannot tell why. What if it's because you're overtaking?

Then the GPS will record it, and when your parents ask you about it you tell them the reason. In fact, if your GPS is as sensitive as mine you'll be able to see the lane change on the map.

I already have a GPS which tracks me every time I drive my car. I'd gladly let my wife or my son see the whole thing - I don't see the big deal.

Is it only kids?

[Null537]

I took an internship this summer that forced me to drive a 1/2 hour to work. When you're cutting through a city and then taking the interstate highway every day you tend to see a lot of cars and a lot of crazy driving. I fail to see how children are the only problem, when people from every demographic seem to speed, and not just a little. Is it because the kids are getting hurt? Could that have something to do with inexperience? Or is it just that adult speeding isn't getting reported because they get out of speeding tickets more often (no basis for fact here, just a possibility).


In terms of the specific unit from TFA, Delorme has come out with something that can do relatively the same thing [delorme.com], minus the phoning home. The data it collects can be used in an Atlas or GIS program to do pretty much the same thing as this new unit. The tools have been out there, this teen just used one in a way that would ensure he wouldn't get laid.

Re:You learn through mistakes

[ggKimmieGal]

I absolutely agree. Too much of a good thing is a very bad thing. My parents also made me pay my insurance, but by paying, I earned the right to drive wherever I wanted. I decided to go to a very tiny private school for college. First semester there I found I didn't have a lot in common with about 90% of the student body. None of them had ever worked or even so much as paid for their own cell phone plan.

Re:You learn through mistakes

[CastrTroy]

It's only unsafe when lowering the speed limit, because nobody listens, and nobody enforces it. Then you when you get somebody who actually obeys the limit, it causes chaos. Just an example. I live in Canada, and many of the 4 lane roads (not highways) that commuters take to work have a 50 km/h speed limit. Nobody obeys the limit, and everybody drives around 70 km/h. Nobody get's ticketed for driving 70 km/h. Now, because everybody is driving 70, it's very easy for the cops to find a person driving 80, and give them a ticket for going 30 over the limit. Really he isn't going that much faster than everyone else, but he is going significantly over the "limit". I think it's completely crazy that drivers put up with this kind of situation, where they set the limits too low, and can basically give you a ticket whenever they want. The province even states that you can get a ticket for travelling 16 km/h over the limit, and get 3 demerit points.

Already a commercial product in Canada (Otto)

[goertzenator]

This kind of product has been commercialized in select cities in Canada for a while now. The Otto has a map of speed limits, intersections, photoradar, etc. http://www.myottomate.com/ [myottomate.com]

Re:You learn through mistakes

[bilbravo]

I'm torn... I agree with what the other guy says (I have gotten a few tickets, and do not speed--note that speeding here generally means excessive speeds and/or all the time--I try to at least go with the flow in areas you discuss). Nobody can claim to only go the speed limit and nothing above it. It's nearly impossible.

However, 55 MPH on the beltway in D.C. and Baltimore is insane. First, nobody does it... even I, the non-speeder maintain a comfortable 60-65. However, the roads here are not meant to or are they in condition to handle speeds much higher than 75-ish. Not to mention the fact that the ones doing this are generally (sorry for the stereotype) aggressive drivers who are swerving around 4 lanes of traffic, or are some young teenager who thinks that he/she is invincible.

Re:Oh, please.

[trcooper]

I don't have a hypothetical kid. I have a real kid. And as a parent I know it's my responsibility to be aware of when my son is doing stupid which could harm him. It's not a lack of trust, it's a realization that kids do things that are dumb regardless of how responsible they or their parents think they are. I know that when I was a teen I did things I should not have, and would have been better off avoiding. I also remember thinking that I was much more responsible and mature than my peers. I now know that I didn't have a clue, and that my parents were right the vast majority of the time.

What teens don't realize is their situation is hardly unique. One of the things you start to realize as you mature is that you and your parents aren't so different. My parents grew up in the 40's & 50's, I grew up in the 80's and 90's. Even with that type of difference in age I realize now the same issues I faced, they had bee through 3 or 4 decades earlier. Parents do have good advice and insight to give their children, if they'll actually listen. Problem is, kids in every generation think they're the only ones with these particular issues or problems, and they're flat out wrong.

Teens want freedom. That's natural. But with freedoms come responsibility that most kids just aren't able to see the entire scope of. That's where parents come in and take some of that responsibility upon themselves to curb their childrens freedoms when neccessary. A parent should never at any point say, well, you're X age, I've done what I can, good luck. I still take advice from my old man. And appreciate it more now.

Of course teen /.rs reading this will disagree... I probably would have, had /. been available via gopher.

Re:Have you raised a teenager?

[LordKazan]

I didn't refute you "point by point" because you didn't make any valid points.

bullocks, perhaps you should try reading and processing the information in my post. However your Inpenetrable Shield of Arrogance apparently is preventing that.

Personally, I think it's realism.

I'm not disagreeing with you about it being able to change persepctive, I'm disagreeing with your implication that one's opinion is not valid simply because they haven't expirience something.

I haven't expirienced infection with AIDS - does that mean my opinion that AIDS is bad is invalid?
I haven't expirienced incarceration for committing a crime - does that mean my opinion that committing a crime is a bad thing? ... ad nauseum ...

I'm sorry that you think it's arrogance.

then don't act arrogant

I've certainly made mistakes along the way

such as enrolling your child in a program run by the Bigot Scouts of America, I hope he didn't have any anti-religious-minority (anti-non-religious) and anti-homosexual attitudes from them.

Re:Have you raised a teenager?

[rhaig]

lots of observation is a good start. The part that is greatly different is the actual participation in the act of raising a child. It's good that you're learning about these things through observation. Try volunteering with some youth groups. It's a start into the participation without becoming a breeder. Once you've invested yourself in a child, your perspective changes. Your opinion may or may not change (you inferred incorrectly from the perspective statement) but your perspective certainly will.

I'm not implying that volunteering with youth is the same as being a parent, but it will let you have a different perspective. I was a Boy Scout leader for 4 years and saw and helped boys turn into young men. I played a miniscule part in their lives compared to their parents and teachers, but I was there and made a difference.

Oblig. Ronald Reagan quote

[The_REAL_DZA]

"Trust, but verify."

Re:You learn through mistakes

[GooberToo]

Statistically, the noob is far more risky... Did you really have to be told that?

Here's the facts:
Females are the absoluete worst drivers, by far. They have more accidents than males. Having said that, male drivers drive much more aggressively than female drivers. So when a male driver is involved in an accident, it tends cost a lot more and the injurry and death rate tends to be much, much higher. Likewise, statistically, teenage drivers are second ONLY to elderly, post retirement age, in their rate of accidents.

Noobs have no history so you can't judge their abilities

So you are actually very incorrect in your assement of the facts. Insurance companies use statisitcs as the basis of their rates. Statistically, the three categories which cost insurance companies the most are: elderly driver (I don't think gender comes into play here), teenage male driver, teenage female driver, all other drivers (assuming all other things being equal).

There is one point everyone is missing . . .

[dmadzak]

Parents are financially responsible for the screw ups of their kid. If their kid is not responsible the parent will get their ass sued off. I'm not saying that this is the right solution, but since a parent is financially responsible for when their kids screw up they should have resources available to know what their kid is up to.

We know how lawyers are, imagine this scenerio, "Your kid caused a major accident because of speeding. How come you did not use this device to control his driving habits?" as the parent gets nailed for punative damages.

This device sucks, but until kids start acting reasonable, parents need to account for what they are doing.

Let the flames about how I am a ideal kid begin.