Your first car is more than just a car; it’s a symbol of independence and freedom. We all remember our first unsupervised road trip, full of youthful and reckless tomfoolery. Those are great memories for a youngster to have, but unfortunately they often result in scraped bumpers, speeding tickets, police escorts, or worse.
To address this, Chevrolet has just announced the ‘Teen Driver’ monitoring system, which will debut in the 2016 Malibu.
No, it’s nothing voyeuristic as parents won’t be connected to the car through a real-time monitor, but they will be able to review the recent trips of their offspring.
First, the parental unit creates a unique PIN and registers it to their child’s keyfob. From there, Teen Driver can record distance driven, maximum speed reached, over-speed warnings issued, stability control events, antilock brake events, and forward collision events if the car is equipped.
That means that once the vehicle has returned home, parents will be able to see what little Johnny and Sue were up to.
Teen Driver, which does not require a subscription, can also keep young drivers safe while they’re out and about. The system automatically mutes the sound system until the seat belts are fastened, encouraging passengers to buckle up before setting off. Parents can also set a maximum speed limit between 40 mph and 75 mph that triggers a not-at-all annoying alarm when exceeded.
“We developed this system so parents could use it as a teaching tool with their kids – they can discuss and reinforce safe driving habits,” said General Motors safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe. “As a mother of two, I know anything that has the potential of keeping one’s family safer is of great value to parents.”
“The first step with this technology is to make sure that all drivers and passengers within the car are safe,” continued Steve Majoros, Chevrolet car marketing director. “In addition to innovative safety technologies like this, you will see efficiency, advanced connectivity and stunning design in the 2016 Malibu.”
The 2016 Malibu will be fully revealed at the New York Auto Show April 1st.
