My girls are now 23 and 25, and I do worry about distracted driving, but they are not under my roof anymore. Not so for you, dear reader! There are apps out there that can warn your teen when they are going too fast and that can email you an alert when a maximum speed (which you set) is reached. With rising deaths and injuries due to texting while on the road, you might consider an app that causes the ability to text to be lost when a preset speed is reached. I even read about one that many parents might find tempting…you enter in an address (such as girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s house?) and get an alert when your teen is within a 1-mile radius. If hanging out after school is off limits because no parents will be home, that might be handy if your teen tends to push the limits. If all this seems a little too intrusive (Who me? Snoop?), an article about such apps suggests openness with your teen about your intention to use such methods to monitor and protect your teen.
