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Monday, March 09, 2009
Technology May Be the Answer to Parents’ and Teens’ Driving Concerns
National Survey Reveals Parents Worry, Teens Press For More Freedom; GPS Locators May Be The Answer
A new nationwide survey of teen driving issues undertaken by the leading market research firm StrategyOne, on behalf of Personal GPS Locator company Zoombak, (www.Zoombak.com) reveals that once a teen obtains his or her driver's licenses, parents and teenagers have widely divergent reactions:
•Over 80% of teenagers are happy about the event, compared to just over 30% of their parents.
•Moreover, almost 60% of parents are concerned about the safety of their teen, while only 10% of teens have safety on his or her mind.
Essential to helping parents overcome their worries is knowing where their teens are. Almost two-thirds are concerned about the their teens once they're on the road. For their part, teenagers understand the concern; 79% report that their parents worry about them when they drive. But two-thirds of all teen drivers agree with the statement, "I wish there were a way to get my parents to trust me more" when they're driving.
To feel more secure as their teens are out on their own in an automobile, 81% of parents require their teenagers to check in by cell phone when they arrive at their destination. Almost 60% demand practice driving with parents in the car, and over 50% of parents set curfews and passenger limits.
To monitor the vehicle their teen is driving, only 17% of all parents use technology. But what many parents don't realize is that relatively inexpensive GPS devices are available that can instantly tell them where their teen's vehicle is, whether they've left a pre-defined geographic area, that they've arrived safely at their destination, even what route the auto has traveled over the past hour. In fact, this technology may satisfy new teen drivers' number one wish for their parents: "Give me more freedom," by allowing them to earn their parents' confidence.
GPS Device May Solve Trust Issue
"Zoombak is in the business of helping individuals and families take advantage of the power of global positioning technology to improve their lives," said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Zoombak, the manufacturer of personal locator products. "GPS is both accurate and suitable for a huge array of uses, including building trust between teen drivers and their parents."
Zoombak's automobile tracking product, the Advanced GPS Car & Family Locator, can provide on-demand information about a vehicle’s location. For example, on Zoombak's password-protected Web site, real-time location information can be displayed on a map, including the closest street address. This information can be obtained via text message to a parent's cell phone.
Other ways of monitoring vehicle travel are also available via the Zoombak locator. Personalized active safety zones can be set up around ten different locations; when the vehicle enters or leaves an active zone, parents can be instantly alerted via email or text message with location information. Safety zones can be active at the same time or in any combination, and can be scheduled for 24/7 use or turned on and off during certain hours of day or evening.
A car charger for the unit is available, as is a separate installation kit is available so Zoombak’s GPS locator can be hardwired to a car’s battery. The unit has a battery life of up to five days.
The StrategyOne national study of 300 new teen drivers and parents of new teen drivers entitled "Teen Drivers and Parents: Where Are The Road Bumps," was conducted on the Internet in July, 2008. Teens were 16-17 years old and holding driving licenses or permits, and adults were screened for parents of teens 16-17 years of age with driving licenses or permits. Equal numbers of the sexes were used for both segments, and imitated U.S. census statistics for ethnicity, region and education.
Along with motor vehicle safety, driver education helps ensure the safety of Americans. Whether you're getting your Commercial Drivers License, your Learner's Permit, or your Motorcycle License, America's Driver's License Headquarters is TestQuestionsandAnswers.com.
A new nationwide survey of teen driving issues undertaken by the leading market research firm StrategyOne, on behalf of Personal GPS Locator company Zoombak, (www.Zoombak.com) reveals that once a teen obtains his or her driver's licenses, parents and teenagers have widely divergent reactions:
•Over 80% of teenagers are happy about the event, compared to just over 30% of their parents.
•Moreover, almost 60% of parents are concerned about the safety of their teen, while only 10% of teens have safety on his or her mind.
Essential to helping parents overcome their worries is knowing where their teens are. Almost two-thirds are concerned about the their teens once they're on the road. For their part, teenagers understand the concern; 79% report that their parents worry about them when they drive. But two-thirds of all teen drivers agree with the statement, "I wish there were a way to get my parents to trust me more" when they're driving.
To feel more secure as their teens are out on their own in an automobile, 81% of parents require their teenagers to check in by cell phone when they arrive at their destination. Almost 60% demand practice driving with parents in the car, and over 50% of parents set curfews and passenger limits.
To monitor the vehicle their teen is driving, only 17% of all parents use technology. But what many parents don't realize is that relatively inexpensive GPS devices are available that can instantly tell them where their teen's vehicle is, whether they've left a pre-defined geographic area, that they've arrived safely at their destination, even what route the auto has traveled over the past hour. In fact, this technology may satisfy new teen drivers' number one wish for their parents: "Give me more freedom," by allowing them to earn their parents' confidence.
GPS Device May Solve Trust Issue
"Zoombak is in the business of helping individuals and families take advantage of the power of global positioning technology to improve their lives," said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Zoombak, the manufacturer of personal locator products. "GPS is both accurate and suitable for a huge array of uses, including building trust between teen drivers and their parents."
Zoombak's automobile tracking product, the Advanced GPS Car & Family Locator, can provide on-demand information about a vehicle’s location. For example, on Zoombak's password-protected Web site, real-time location information can be displayed on a map, including the closest street address. This information can be obtained via text message to a parent's cell phone.
Other ways of monitoring vehicle travel are also available via the Zoombak locator. Personalized active safety zones can be set up around ten different locations; when the vehicle enters or leaves an active zone, parents can be instantly alerted via email or text message with location information. Safety zones can be active at the same time or in any combination, and can be scheduled for 24/7 use or turned on and off during certain hours of day or evening.
A car charger for the unit is available, as is a separate installation kit is available so Zoombak’s GPS locator can be hardwired to a car’s battery. The unit has a battery life of up to five days.
The StrategyOne national study of 300 new teen drivers and parents of new teen drivers entitled "Teen Drivers and Parents: Where Are The Road Bumps," was conducted on the Internet in July, 2008. Teens were 16-17 years old and holding driving licenses or permits, and adults were screened for parents of teens 16-17 years of age with driving licenses or permits. Equal numbers of the sexes were used for both segments, and imitated U.S. census statistics for ethnicity, region and education.
Along with motor vehicle safety, driver education helps ensure the safety of Americans. Whether you're getting your Commercial Drivers License, your Learner's Permit, or your Motorcycle License, America's Driver's License Headquarters is TestQuestionsandAnswers.com.
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