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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."
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
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.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
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.
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.
/.rs reading this will disagree... I probably would have, had /. been available via gopher.
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
"Trust, but verify."
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