Driving Monitor Archives

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015

Distracted Driving Causes More Teen Accidents Than Ever Known

An unprecedented study of teen driving shows the connection between distracted driving and teen crashes is stronger than originally thought.

The study found that police estimates of crash statistics were way off. Six out of ten moderate-to-severe teen crashes are caused by distracted driving — four times as many as original estimates claimed based on police reports.

About the Study

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Lytx (a company that has collected data using in-vehicle event recorders for a decade) compiled data to create a 71-page report that shows we underestimated the dangers of distracted teen driving.

Researchers analyzed the six seconds leading up to a crash in nearly 1,691 videos of crashes involving drivers ages 16-19 and found that distraction was a factor in 58% of crashes.

Distraction played a role in 89% of road-departure crashes and 76% of rear-end crashes.

The Main Distractions

Passengers are the most dangerous distraction for teens. According to the report, 15% of crashes were caused when the driver was interacting with one or more passengers.

Digital distractions were a close second. Twelve percent of crashes were caused due to cell phone use. Cell phone use included calling, texting, and other uses (app usage, adjusting music, etc.)

Digital distractions caused teens to take their eyes off the road for “an average of 4.1 of the final six seconds leading up to the crash,” the study reported. It also limited reaction time. In rear-end crashes, teen drivers using cell phones were more likely to crash without steering away or braking.

Ordinary distractions are just as dangerous. Parents may focus on teaching their teens to put their phones away while driving, but they need to remind them about ordinary distractions they may underestimate. A surprising percentage of crashes were caused by common distractions.

10% — looking at something in the vehicle
9% — looking at something outside the vehicle
8% — singing/moving to music
6% — grooming
6% — reaching for an object

What Parents Can Do

Create a Safe Driving Contract — Use a safe driving contract to set boundaries and expectations for your teen’s driving. AAA offers a free PDF agreement for parents that outlines both rules and consequences of driving.

Limiting the Number of Passengers — Interacting with passengers was the number one cause of accidents for distracted teen drivers. Limit the number of passengers that your teen can have in the vehicle and let them work their way up to having more passengers as they get more driving experience.

Teach Your Kids About #X — Remind your teens that they don’t need to respond to text conversations while they are driving. They should use a tactic from the “It Can Wait” campaign and simply text #X before getting behind the wheel — which is a way to pause the conversation until they are off the road.

Don’t Contribute to Your Child’s Distracted Driving — Parents who expect their children to answer their phone at all times could be increasing the amount of distracted driving their teens are involved in. All but one teenage driving demographic surveyed by APA said that parents were the number one contact they talked to while driving.

Related: Parents Are Most Distracting to Teen Drivers

Set a Good Example — If you frequently engage in distracted driving in front of your teen, they will begin to see that as a normal driving habit. So, practice the same safe driving habits you would like your teen to exhibit.

Monitor Their Speed — You can’t be on the road with your teen every time they drive, but you can be aware of their activity on the road.

With MamaBear, The Ultimate Parenting App™, parents can receive alerts regarding where their teen is driving and how fast they are going. The free app, available for iPhones and Androids, is a way for you to give independence to your teen driver while staying connected to their driving habits and encouraging safe driving practices.

MamaBear is Honoring Moms in May

MamaBear CEO Discusses Social Media Safety for Kids on The Valley Girl Show

The Hurtful Side of Social Media: Horrific Threats Via Instagram for One Teen

February 18, 2015March 18, 2016

Preparing Your Teen Driver to Hit the Road

Getting a driver’s license can be one of the best days ever for a teen. However, it may not feel that way for parents. Teenage driving is a dangerous activity that parents are naturally concerned about. But with the right tools and preparation, parents can help instill driving habits that will keep their teens safe on the road.

Share Teen Driving Facts

Because many teens think they are invincible, it is important to educate them on just how dangerous teen driving can be. Share facts that show how careless and distracted driving can increase the odds of a car crash.

The Florida Drivers Guide for Parents and Teenagers share statistics that show the reality of teen driving.

The first 1,000 hours behind the wheel are the most dangerous.
The #1 cause of death among American teenagers is car crashes.
One-third of fatal teen car crashes is caused by speed.
Teen accident rates double when the number of passengers goes from two to three.
Teens are more likely than any other group to have a single-car crash.

Review Common Driving Mistakes

Review common driving errors so your teen is aware of them and recognizes how to correct and avoid them.

Distracted Driving (playing with phone or radio, paying attention to others in the vehicle)
Driving Aggressively
Speeding
Swerving/Over-correcting
Failing to Yield
Driving While Upset
Not Adjusting to Weather Conditions
Tailgating
Not Understanding the Intentions of Other Drivers

Set Driving Rules and Create a Contract

Agreeing to a driving contract early on gives you the opportunity to lay out expectations and set consequences if the rules are broken. Create a document that your teen reads and signs.

Every teen should agree to most important rules.

I will wear my seatbelt at all times.
I will never text, talk, or use a cell phone while driving. (I will keep it in the glove box or backseat.)
I will pull over if I need to use my cell phone.
I will never go over the speed limit or drive recklessly or aggressively.
I will never drink or do drugs before driving (and never ride with someone who has).

Then, go over rules and expectations that are unique to your and your teen.

Driving Hours: Set a time frame when your child is allowed to use the car. Make sure to consider local laws for drivers under the age of 18.
Number of Passengers: Set a rule for how many passengers are allowed in the car.
Violations and Tickets: Set consequences for receiving violations. Decide who is responsible for paying for tickets.
Vehicle Responsibility: Discuss vehicle maintenance and who is responsible for repairs and gas. Teach your teen how to notice signs that maintenance is needed.

Install MamaBear App

When your teens get their license, you can’t always be with them to ensure they are incorporating safe driving habits. But there is a way for you to make sure your teen isn’t speeding (or riding with other drivers who speed).

The Mama Bear Family Safety App has a feature that will alert you if your teen is in a vehicle that is going over your set speed limit. The app will tell you where the incident occurred. This helps you hold your teen accountable for their actions and further stresses the importance of safe driving habits.

Your teen getting their driver’s license doesn’t have to be a scary day for parents as long as you follow these steps and use tool like MamaBear Family Safety app (available for both iPhones and Androids).

If you liked this blog, you should read:

1. Parents Are Most Distracting to Teen Drivers

2. 5 Benefits of Using MamaBear to Monitor Teen Driving

3. The MamaBear Family Monitoring App Can Help With Parental Anxiety About Teen Driving

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014

Parents Are Most Distracting to Teen Drivers

A whopping 86% of high school juniors and seniors admit to using their cell phones while driving, according to a statistic presented by American Psychological Association.

That is dangerous data when paired with another statistic. Twenty-six percent of the nation’s car accidents were caused by the use of cell phones, per the National Safety Council’s annual injury and fatality report.

With so many teens using their phones while driving, and a high correlation between accidents and distracted driving, instilling safe driving habits in teens is becoming increasingly important. That starts with parents — because they could be the root of the problem.

In a recent presentation “Is That Mom on the Phone? — Teen Drivers and Distraction,” the American Psychological Association explains that parents may contribute to the amount of distracted driving their kids do.

APA reviewed current data on the topic and conducted research of their own by surveying 395 teens, and found that teens often use their phone while driving because of influence by their parents.

Parents Often Set Poor Examples by Driving, Talking, and Texting

Teens aren’t the only drivers using phones while driving. Adults, including parents, frequently engage in distracted driving.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released data that 69% of US drivers reported they had talked on their phone while driving within 30 days of being surveyed.

With examples of distracted driving all around them, teens tend to increasingly replicate the habit the longer they drive. Thirty-four percent of drivers ages 15-17 said they didn’t use a cell phone while driving. While only 10% of 18-year-olds said they didn’t use their phone while driving.

When teens see so many examples of distracted driving, they begin to believe it is common. Parents need to reinforce that distracted driving is dangerous by setting an example and never driving while texting or talking.

Parents Pressure Their Teens to Answer Their Calls

Parents often expect their teens to answer their calls or respond to their texts right away. This pressures teens into thinking that they always need to answer, even if they are driving.

All but one teenage driving demographic surveyed by APA said that parents were the number one contact they talked to while driving.

Teens talk to their parents more often than they talk to their friends while driving. Fifty percent of 18-year-olds said their phone time was spent talking primarily to parents.

Related: Monitor Teen Driving with the MamaBear Driving Monitor App

Parents Can Help Decrease Distractive Driving Time

Successfully teaching teens how to incorporate safe driving practices starts with the parents. A few ways parents can help instill safe driving habits in their teen include the following.

Be a good role model. Don’t talk or text while you are driving.
Ask your kids if they are driving. Within the first 30 seconds of a phone call with your teen, ask them if they are driving. If they are, tell them to pull over and call you back.
Put the phone in the back seat. Teach your kids to put the phone in the back seat while driving. (Even better, parents can practice this themselves.)
Use a monitoring application. Programs and apps can help prevent distracted driving. MamaBear Family Safety App uses GPS so parents can connect with their kids without making phone calls (and also monitor car speeds). Other apps that disable phones while vehicles are in motion are also available.
Understand that kids might miss your call when they are driving. Don’t repeatedly call if your teen doesn’t answer right away. Give them time to pull over and make a call.

Make it easier to connect with your teen and encourage them to be a safe driver with the MamaBear Family Safety App (available for iPhone and Andriod).

July 18, 2014May 24, 2019

Getting Started With MamaBear App

Thanks for using the MamaBear App. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help you get started. Get in touch with us at support@mamabearapp.com with any questions.

1. ADD YOUR FAMILY.

Add your children and any other guardians to your account in the settings area.

Your added family members can install MamaBear from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and we’ll also send them a text message invitation asking to join your family.

2. CONNECT WITH YOUR FAMILY.

Once your added family members have installed MamaBear, they’ll simply need to log in using their phone number and the family password you created.

Share your password and give your kids a hand if they need help installing MamaBear on their phone.

You can resend the login link when you see that your child has not logged in for the first time or if their map location is old. Go to your child’s profile settings page and tap “resend login link.”

3. REVIEW YOUR CHILD’S DEVICE SETTINGS.

Your child’s smartphone needs data connectivity with these appropriate device settings:

– Location services “on”
– Background refresh “on” (for iPhones)
– Make sure wifi is “on.” Even if not connected, having wifi on helps the device’s location services.
– The device also needs to be powered on to share updated location information.

Related: How to prevent your child from deleting apps

4. GET YOUR CHILD’S SOCIAL USERNAME AND PASSWORDS.

Connect your child’s Grom App, Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook accounts in the settings area of MamaBear.

Once you are connected:
– Customize a word list to monitor on all connected social accounts by tapping “restricted words.” Check out these acronyms you may want to add to the list.
– Notifications for new Twitter followers.
– Notifications for Instagram photos posted.
– Select what notifications you would like to see of your child’s activity on the Grom app.

5. SET UP SAFE PLACES.

Add places like home or school in the settings area of each child to receive notifications when they arrive or leave. Adjust the size of the boundary to fit the location in the safe place settings to prevent “bouncing” or inaccurate departures.

6. REVIEW THE DRIVING SPEED DEFAULT.

The default setting for driving speed notifications is 55 MPH. You’ll receive notifications if your child rides or drives over that limit once per hour.

7. SHARE THE GIFT OF FAMILY SAFETY.

Earn a free premium subscription when you share MamaBear with your friends using the Bear2Bear referral program. Tap the top left menu and tap “share” to choose among text, email or social apps to share your custom referral link. As soon as your friends register, they receive a free premium subscription period and so do you! Learn more about Bear2Bear.

8. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIGITAL PARENTING.

Check out our blog and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. We share great resources to help you through the wonderful world of digital parenting.

Category: Driving Monitor