If you are considering a BE SAFE GPS Safety Coach, you might be feeling a little anxious about how you discuss this with your teen in a non-threatening way. Firstly, we do not recommend that you keep the idea of installing the BE SAFE GPS Safety Coach from your teen. One reason is because this could backfire and create an atmosphere of mistrust and unnecessary rifts between you. However, the most important reason is that you would miss out on the best benefit of having the device, which is the ability to coach your teen and have more peace of mind. BE SAFE is not designed as a way to “spy” on teenage drivers; we see BE SAFE is a way to help them become better drivers. If the discussion is handled correctly, it can strengthen rather than strain your relationship. You know your teen best and should approach this conversation with them with that knowledge. Below are a few ideas that you might like to use as a guide when you discuss the BE SAFE GPS Safety Coach with your teen.
1. You want to give your teen freedom to drive on their own.
Express your pride of them earning their driver’s licence which they worked very hard to get. Also acknowledge the improved difference in their driving ability from when they first started to learn how to drive. But the fact is that they still have a relatively small amount of experience behind the wheel. Advise them or ask them if they know that drivers who are aged between 18 to 23 years old are four times more likely to get in an accident than older drivers? The majority of these accidents are not caused by drinking; they are just errors from inexperience. Good teen drivers are still less experienced than older drivers.
Let them know this concerns you, because you want to give them the freedom to drive on their own, but the statistics show that when parents continue to coach their teen drivers, the chance of an accident can be cut in half! So you could choose to wait awhile before letting them drive alone – that’s what a lot of parents do – until you both have more teaching and coaching time completed….OR alternately you have found a great way to have it both ways; a way to keep coaching them without having to sit in the car with them all of the time. BE SAFE keeps track of their driving skills and together you can review their driving every week to see how they’re doing and talk about ways to improve their safety if needed.
-
You Want Them to Feel independent.
The device will let you know when they get to school, work, or other places that they might drive on their own. Log in and show them how it works. You can both relax, because you don’t have to worry if they are safe, and they don’t have to worry about “calling their mum or dad” all the time to check in. BE SAFE will text or email you when they get to their destination, and they can just enjoy their independence and being out with their friends or making sure they get to class or work on time.
It is also a good idea to tell them that this will also help you respond quickly if they need help. If they get lost, get a flat tyre or run out of petrol etc, they will also feel safe and so much better knowing someone can get to them fast in an emergency.
-
You want to recognise their Good driving and reward them.
The trouble with them being on their own is that you would usually just know if they made a mistake – like getting a speeding ticket or backing into a parked car. That’s really not fair to them, because they probably have a lot of really good days when they drive well. You just don’t get notified. BE SAFE will help you feel more confident with their driving as their confidence grows too. It will show you when they are driving responsibly, and you will know that they can handle more driving privileges. If they keep driving well, you can expand their driver freedom.
Reiterate you are there to help them, and you know that with the BE SAFE GPS Safety Coach, they can still learn from you without having you hover over their shoulder all the time.