Handing those car keys over to your teenagers for their first drive can be one of the most stressful and worrisome times for parents. But new technology is hoping to make ease that worry and make it just a little easier on moms and dads.
General Motors is introducing a new system known as "Teen Driver" at the New York auto show this week. GM's new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu will be the first car to debut with this new built in driving system that is designed to encourage safe driving habits in kids, according to a press release from the company.
According to General Motors, they developed the system so parents could use it as a teaching tool to help their kids improve their driving.
"It's a programmable feature that encourages safe driving habits in a number of ways," GM safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe.
The technology includes a report card of sorts on their child's trip. The report will include many statistics on a child's trip including maximum speed, how far they drove, and the number of times active safety features were engaged.
Perhaps one of the best features (at least in a parent's mind) is the ability to set a maximum speed limit for the vehicle. If this feature is set, if your child goes over the maximum speed that was set a visible light will go off in the car as well as an audible chime.
That's not all. You can also set it so the radio will not come on until the seat belts are buckled and if they connect a smart phone to the stereo system it will be placed on "Do Not Disturb" mode so they won't be tempted to answer a text or phone call while in the driver's seat.
While many believe that "Teen Driver" is a step in the right direction, others believe that the best solution is to teach your child 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.
In the U.S., the crash fatality rate for drivers age 16 to 19 is three times that of drivers age 20 and over.
The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu will be the first vehicle to feature the technology and will debut at the New York Auto Show and is expected to go on sale by the end of 2015.
