Teen Vehicle GPS: Track Your Teen's Driving, Whereabouts, and Safety

Ironically, it's the back-to-school season that seems to give parents the worst nightmares about their teen's driving. Suddenly, your child is gone from morning till evening and you've just got to trust that they're spending that time where they're supposed to be ... and that they're coming and going safely.

The frightening facts are that most teens are not driving safely. According to the National Institute of Health, National Institute for Highway Safety, 1 in every 7 teen drivers will have an auto accident during their first year of driving. Worse still, 1 in every 20 teenagers will be in an accident that is fatal or leaves them seriously injured. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for American teens, beating drugs and guns.

So, no, you're not just an overly paranoid parent for wanting to keep tabs on your teen's driving. Their safety is at risk. The good news is that the latest GPS tracking devices will help you curb bad habits and give you some peace of mind.

The Basic Teen GPS Tracking System

From the moment your teenager acquired their driver's license, you prepared yourself to have a heart attack every time they grabbed their car keys, slammed the door, and sped off into the horizon. The features available on even the most basic Teen GPS Tracking System will alleviate some of the heart attacks, though, and keep your teenager safer.

With the most basic teen GPS tracker, you install a small box in the vehicle and then activate it following the manufacturer's instructions. After activation, you will be able to retrieve information about the vehicle's exact location (within 100 feet, anyway), the direction it's travelling, and even how fast it's being driven right from your own home. Depending on the device you go with, this information can be seen online, delivered to your phone, or via email.

Not only do these features mean that you can keep an eye on your teen's driving habits, but it is a great help if they ever wind up in an accident. Being able to give the authorities the exact location of the accident means that they can rush to the site with help, reducing the risk of serious injury to your child.

On the less traumatic side of things, this system is a huge bonus if your teen's car is ever stolen. You will be able to call the authorities and give them up-to-date information about where the vehicle is.

Teen GPS Features to Look For

Literally dozens of teen GPS tracking systems are available on the market, some of which are much better than others. This is one area where you will get what you pay for, to a large extent, but what you really need to pay attention to are the specific features that are required for you to get the most out of the system.

These features are the bare minimum that should be part of any system you consider purchasing:

1. Guided, Sturdy Installation - You want something that will install sturdily and discreetly, and make sure that the company you purchase from either provides fully illustrated installation guides or is willing to offer free on-the-phone support. If you find one that offers both, you're definitely on the right track.

2. Customer Support - Believe me, you will encounter at least one problem as time goes on. Make sure that the company you choose offers free technical support for when those problems arise.

3. Real-time Feedback - There are dozens of tracking systems that simply store the information for you to retrieve later on. That does you very little good if you want to make sure your teen is headed straight to the after-school game and that they get there safely. The best GPS tracking systems will allow you to monitor your teen's driving as they drive.

4. Multiple Monitoring Plans - No single plan will work right for everyone. Look for a GPS tracking system that allows you to choose the monitoring plan that best fits your needs and your budget. Many companies offer unlimited tracking for low monthly and yearly rates.

5. Vehicle History - Yup, you want your results the second you need them, but you will definitely want to have a history to fall back on when troubles arise. Look specifically for a system that stores at least 30 days of your teen's history so that you can go through the records with them.

Three Top-Rate Teen GPS Tracking Systems

When it comes to the best teen GPS tracking systems available, three really stand out because they not only meet every basic feature but offer dozens of others that can seriously help you - and your child - out.

First, you will want to check out Mobile Teen GPS. This service offers two monitoring plans based on a monthly or yearly payment, but you have unlimited monitoring included in either plan. Mobile Teen GPS expands on the basic features by giving you four separate ways to monitor your teen's driving, including via text message on your cell phone, an alert sent to your email address, a toll-free number that you can call for alerts, and a website that lets you track your teen's vehicle as it's moving.

Mobile Teen GPS also provides five trademarked features named SpeedAlert, TeenLocate, GeoFence, ForceField, and VoiceLocate. Each of these features are individually focused on tracking the speed your teen is driving at, determining their vehicle's current location, alerting you to when they go to an unapproved location, locating you to unauthorized use or movement of the vehicle, and allows you to locate the vehicle immediately by calling a toll free number that uses voice recognition software to protect your teen's safety.

The next teen GPS tracking system to take a serious look at is getisight. First of all, this business is fantastic in that it focuses directly on teen drivers. Its box installs permanently and discreetly, and you're able to get real-time information on everything from location to speed of your teen's car right from the company's secure website.

When your teen's vehicle exceeds the limit you've defined, or if it leaves a specified "safe zone" that you've set, you will receive an email and/or text message the second it happens. There is also a ton of support provided by getisight, and you'll appreciate the extremely low monthly fee for online monitoring.

Finally, check out Cyber Trak Locate. This system is perhaps the most state-of-the-art tracking system currently available. With nothing more than a telephone or Internet connection, you can instantly access your teen's vehicle 24-7. Even via phone, you have total control of all the interactive vehicle services featured in Cyber Trak.

Features are where Cyber Trak seriously has an edge on all its competition. You're not only able to locate and view both the direction of travel and speed of your teen's car in real time, but the system also allows you to recall the fastest speed traveled during the day and alert messages are provided the second the vehicle moves outside the safe zone you've set.

But that's just the beginning; here's where things get super cool. Let's say that your teen has parked their vehicle at a friend's house, and you find out that said friend is having a party. You can immediately disable the starter on your teen's car to prevent them from driving - and re-enable it at any time. This is also a great anti-theft device. If your teen ever locks themselves out of their car, they can give you a quick call and you'll be able to unlock the vehicle's doors remotely. You can also review all the reports and monitoring commands you've set for three months.

No matter which system you decide to go with, talk to your insurance company once the device is properly installed and working - you might be surprised to find that many insurance companies will offer you a discount for the system as an anti-theft device. Definite bonus.