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Chevy Malibu 'Teen Driver' Tech Will Snitch If You Speed
mpicpp writes General Motors wants to help curb teen crashes with a new system that lets parents monitor their kids' driving habits—even when mom and dad aren't actually in the car. Dubbed Teen Drive, the new system will debut in the 2016 Chevy Malibu, offering a bunch of features designed to encourage safe driving. It will, for instance, mute the radio or any device paired with the car when front seat occupants aren't wearing their seatbelts, and give audible and visual warnings when the vehicle is traveling faster than preset speeds. It doesn't end there. Brace yourself, teens, because you might not like this next part too much. The new system also lets parents view a readout of how you drove the car, including how fast you went, how far you drove, and whether any active safety features (like over-speed warnings) were engaged. Parents can also set the radio system's maximum volume to a lower level, and select a maximum speed between 40 and 75 miles per hour, which, if exceeded, will trigger warnings.
If car manufacturers did sensible things we wouldn't have had to bail them out a few years ago.
They love vendor lock-in and planned obsolescence as much as gadget manufacturers do.
Not letting your shithead teens on the fucking road in the first place?
Not letting them on the road seems a little extreme but do they have to have a brand new car? What happened to having a beater to putt around in for the first few years?
Ford Mykey has been around since MY 2010 or so. Limits radio volume, won't allow radio to play if seatbelts not fastened, speed limit at 130km/h (highest speed limit in NA), and speed reminder settable at a lower speed. The telemetry function is new.
As far as driving new cars... eventually these cars will end up being used cars, and as well in many cases they may be sharing the family car.
The roads in Australia are filled with SUVs just as much as they are in the US (and that number seems to be growing all the time based on my observations) and yet people who know what they are talking about (including a family member who has been working in dealerships and selling both new and used cars for decades and now works in management at a dealer) still recommend small fuel efficient Japanese cars as good first cars for young drivers (despite the "increased risk" if they get into an accident with an SUV)
My first car was a piece of shit and I still drove it like I stole it. And if my parents had a technology like this one, I'd have had to explain to them how to set it up.
Same feelings here.
I would have hated it, but in 5 years my oldest is getting something like this.
I went ape shit when I got my first car, quite literally trying to emulate Dukes of Hazard(Filmed in my hometown BTW). Most all of us have some regret on their youth, but I am very lucky to be alive.