If you’re a parent, you know that keeping an eye on your kids can be tough. Technology can make that job a little easier. There are a number of gadgets and services that will act as your eyes and ears when you can’t be there. Here are three to help keep your children safe:
Driving gadgets. One of the scariest days for parents is when their teenager passes the driver’s exam. There are plenty of distractions for even the most seasoned drivers. Teenagers just learning the rules of the road are even more susceptible.
The Road Safety RS-1000 (www.roadsafety.com/teen.php; $280 and $295; Windows 98SE and above) and CarChipE/X with Alarm (www.davisnet.com; $199; Windows 98SE and above) are little black boxes that monitor your teen’s driving when you can’t.
The devices easily attach to a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics connector, under the dashboard. They monitor and record parameters such as speed, hard braking and quick acceleration. If conditions exceed limits you set, such as going faster than 65 mph, an alarm will alert the driver.
The Road Safety RS-1000 stores about a month’s worth of driving data. CarChipE/X with Alarm holds 300 hours’ worth. It has a USB port that connects to your computer. Road Safety RS-1000 uses a removable memory card with a USB port. Both devices are fairly tamper-proof. If they’re turned off or removed, that action will show up in the data logs.
Driving services. Have you seen signs on commercial vehicles that ask, “How’s my driving?” The same concept is being brought to private use through How’s My Driving (www.howsmydriving.com/drive4life.nsf; $22 per year, plus $10 activation fee) and Teen Arrive Alive (www.teenarrivealive.com; $15 per month, plus $50 activation fee).
After registering, you receive a sticker to be placed on the back of your vehicle. The sticker contains a phone number that drivers can call if they witness poor or erratic driving. Parents are notified via telephone or e-mail.
The downside is that strangers must report incidents, and prank calls can happen.
Teen Arrive Alive also has a global positioning system component for subscribers who own a compatible Nextel phone. For an additional $10 per month, your child’s location is reported to Teen Arrive Alive every two minutes. Just log in to Teen Arrive Alive’s website to see if your teen is really at the library or goofing off at the mall.
Cellphone help. Conveniences such as text and picture messaging and Web browsing are not always appropriate for minors. Sure, you want your child to be able to call you from soccer practice, but he or she probably shouldn’t use the same cellphone that you own.
Firefly (www.fireflymobile.com) and TicTalk (www.mytictalk.com) are “kid-safe” cellphones that retail for about $100. The phones have built-in parental controls. You determine which numbers the phone can dial or receive calls from. The phones use pay-as-you-go minutes (25 cents per minute), so there are no contracts to sign.
Finally, remember that technology should not be used as a substitute for good parenting. It’s important to talk to your children about why you are buying restrictive cellphones or devices that track their location.
