DriveSync tracks your kids' joyrides
By Barb Dybwad 
posted January 6th 2006 1:00PM
posted January 6th 2006 1:00PM
Nothing gladdens our hearts more than seeing yet another paranoid parent kid tracking device aimed at locking down the hearts, minds and loins of today's youth. This one provides off-line GPS tracking (read: cheaper than real-time) of your vehicle so you can see when, where, how fast and how aggressively your teen is abusing the family getaway-mobile. The data is tracked passively and stored in a USB key that plugs into the receiver unit and detaches to be read on your home computer. The data is uploaded to a DriveSync server where it gets interpreted, generating reports including trip logs and usage alerts ("Junior's doing 95!"). All of this is couched under euphemistic marketing language about identifying aggressive driving behavior in your teen (or your fleet drivers, if you're the paranoid trucking co. manager-type instead of paranoid parent) and nipping it in the bud early, but don't be fooled, kids -- what this really means is no more clandestine trips to the liquor store without the 'rents finding out.
Well... i'd just unplug it. Problem solved
Nothing beats giving your kids no privacy, responsibility, or experience and then turning them loose on the real world to crash and burn in as most spectacular manner as their far-ranging ignorance can manage!
No violent content in entertainment, because we want it to DESTROY them psychologically later in life! No driving fast because we want them to be unable to handle a car going more than 35MPH! No playing outside because they might get abducted! No teaching them about sex or they might... uh... enjoy themselves!
sounds like something the insurance companies will make mandatory for all of us some day. I am surprised it isn't already.
Someone once said “Youth is wasted on the young” The older I get the more that seems true. Think of it as a preventive measure. Just knowing it’s there means the kids might actually think before doing something stupid. Now you say “if you raised them right….” BS, what teenager really listens to their parents? At about age 13-14 you go from knowing it all to knowing nothing as a parent at least according to your now 13-14+ year old..
They should also market these types of devices to those concerned with promiscuous spouses and infidelity.
#1--oooh you're real clever...
Dumb Pimple Faced Teenager: Mom and Dad, can I take the car out to hang out with my friends tonight?
Parents: ok, but only to your friend's house.
(Teenager thinks, bwaahaha... stupid parents, they won't know I'm going to go to the liquor store with my fake ID when I cleverly unplug the GPS thing, and then replug it when I come home)
*Next Day*
Parents: You're grounded you pukefaced little lying bastard.
Teenager: What did I do wrong?
Parents: Yeah, you thought you were clever unhooking the GPS monitor, except for the fact that the data says you didn't go anywhere last night, when we know you took the car out *and* added 20 miles to the odometer. By the way, you were a mistake, son.
Umm... what about the fact that GPS can be WRONG? My Garmin every so often tells me that I have been able to go nearly 200 mph at times.... which is highly unlikely. So, aside from the fact that the parents utter lack of trust will shatter their relationship, now they get to confront junior with "solid 100% GPS reliable" data that he was speeding - when in fact he was not.
Sounds like a bad idea all around.
Considering the WAY disproportionate amount of accidents caused by people 18 and under, monitoring them seems like a small incursion compared to the amount of accidents they cause when unmonitored. The knowledge that they're being monitored will significantly affect their driving habits.
And there's lots of insurance companies that give discounts for vehicles with various devices such as this.
how hard is it to go to ur friends house then put it there then go lol
It appears that the unit has a means of mounting the unit to the vehicle. Depending on your method of attaching the unit to the car, taking it out (or possibly even unplugging it) may be difficult to do.
Or lock it in the trunk and only give your young driver the "valet" key. :-)
#9: See reference to "odometer"
The GPS would ostensibly track mileage as well as the mechanical odometer on your car. Compare the two and voila. Grounded pukefaced teenager.
How about it saying 'For Your Family' and all of the teens in the picture being different races? Maybe mom is the one who should be tracked.
But think about the CHILDREN!
And we wonder why our children can’t be trusted and have no respect for authority... What kind of message does this send? Where does it end? Bring on the RFID implants! What worries me most, are those who think this is OK. The day they finally wake up to the reality of all their lost freedoms, just remember, you brought it on yourselves. Damn ignorant people. God help us all.
How many kids could even have driving privilages without mom and dad giving them their own or the family car, plus paying for insurance? Knowing where my kids have been tearing up the streets and putting a stop to it might just save me from a $400/mo bill. My car=my rules.
mom
How many of you defending the teenage point of view actually have a car? If you are a teenager, or adult, who worked hard to own your own car, would you blindly lone it to your teenage friends? NOT A CHANCE!!! (Well, maybe once or twice to the friends you REALLY trust). The point is, if it is not your car, what right to privacy do you have when borrowing it? Car rental places are doing this now.
I don't know if I will do this when my kids get older or not. It really depends on what sense of trust they instill in me at 16 years old. If they do something to break down the trust (excessive speeding ticket, DUI, reckless joy riding...) I would probably use it.
Driving a car is a privilege, ot a right. Driving MY car is a privilege they will have to earn.
I will respect the fact that there will always be negative and positive feedback to such devices of technology. But from everything I have read so far...the only opposition to this device are the people who know that they are royaled on being speed demons or driving aggressively. And as far as borrowing the parents car...and not respecting their wishes......gimme a break.
This device is great feedback for the user and promotes safe driving with kids. All drivers could benifit from this for many reasons other than tracking what the kids are doing with the car.
I think that if kids today really want to be reckless...and want to speed...or deviate from their parents wishes...they will.
But as an observer of the road...I only hope that many parents who let their children drive, consider this as a tool, and safe measure to assuring there kid is less likely to lose respect for the rules of the road.
Indy.
Cool, very cool, in fact this is about the coolest invention since the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Please return list of vendors and their telephone numbers in the Houston Texas area so that I can purchase the "Drivesync"
Hal Lalime
President
Halco Mechanical, Inc.
5420 Acorn Street
Houston, Texas 77092
TACL A 3457 C
713-686-7997 Office
713-686-7933 Fax
713-824-7308 Cell
www.halcomechanical.com
halcoac@aol.com