There is nothing sweeter than passing your first driver’s license test at the ripe age of sixteen, and being handed the keys to your very own car. Spoiled teen drivers from across the United States have been basking in their entitled glory for far too long, but Chevrolet is putting a limit on their madcap fun behind the wheel, courtesy of its new Teen Driver safety system.
Designed as a sort of Big Brother to watch over your rookie teenage driver, Chevy’s newest safety tech has simultaneously become a parent’s dream come true, and a teen driver’s worst nightmare. Long gone are the days of a parent-teen relationship rooted in trust and mutual respect (if they ever existed in the first place). The same advanced technology that teenagers can’t seem to live without, is making its way into the hands of parents, and it seems as though the tables are turning. Every teen driver would love to be handed the keys to their very own vehicle without having to worry about pesky details like car payments and other responsibilities. However, that joy is quickly turning into dismay when teenagers realize that their every increased acceleration, incoming phone call, and radio volume adjustment is being closely monitored by their parents.
Chevrolet has marketed this technology as a in-vehicle report card that can help track your teen driver’s performance in order to encourage safer driving habits. From the perspective of a concerned parent, Chevy’s Teen Driver technology does exactly what the brand has described. I am willing to bet however, that if you were to ask any teenager outside of Chevy’s carefully constructed commercial spots, that they would have a much different tale to tell.
In the end, Chevrolet and the rest of the world knows that it isn’t up to the teenage driver whether or not they appreciate the in-vehicle report card technology – because it wasn’t designed to please them. Rather, it was carefully and thoughtfully constructed to appease the thousands of worried parents who flock to dealerships around the country to buy their teenager a brand new car for their sixteenth birthday.
Considering all that the Chevy Teen Driver system is capable of monitoring, I can’t help but wonder how many recipients of these lavish sweet sixteen gifts, try to exchange them for something slightly less intrusive. Even with volume controls settings, GPS location monitoring, and pre-set speed controls, these teenagers have something far more important than a tattle-tale for a car – they have parents who actually care. Chevy knows it just as well as anyone else does, you can’t put a price on the peace of mind for a well-intentioned parent.
If you are a teenager whose main concern is whether your free new Chevy car has the Teen Driver system or not, relax. There are far worse things that could happen to you in your young life – like having to take the bus. When your mom and dad hand you the keys to your brand new 2016 Chevy Malibu equipped with Teen Driver technology, don’t fight it. Smile, say thank you, and remember that the internet is filled with ways to beat the system.
