When I think about my driving habits as a teenager, I shudder to think about either of my kids climbing behind the wheel in a couple of years. The increased congestion on the roads and the alarming stats about vehicle fatalities involving teens only compound my fears.

Posted By Mike

But 20-year-old Jonathan Fischer has invented a device that may help alleviate some of my worries. The Speed Demon is a black box of a different kind. It mounts inside your vehicle and will alert you by email or text message when your teenager exceeds pre-set speed limits and will tell you where your teenager is at the time. It combines a GPS unit, cell data modem and software to determine which roadway your teenager is traveling on and can accommodate different pre-set limits  for various types of roads, such as highway and secondary.

The device also features a curfew alarm, which will alert you if the car is driven during off-limit hours. You’ll also receive an alert if your teen tries to outsmart the device by turning it off. For emergencies, Speed Demon features a panic button that will phone home for help.

While Speed Demon will tell you where your young driver is traveling when he/she speeds, it doesn’t track a vehicle’s every move. For that level of tracking, you’ll need a different device. “As a teenager, I feel that teens deserve their privacy,” Fischer said. “My device only alerts when you’re driving dangerously. Drive safe, and you get to keep your privacy.”

Fischer has been working on Speed Demon since he was 16, inspired by the tragic death of a friend in a high-speed collision. The device is available at www.livefastdriveslow.com for $250 and a $15 per month service fee. For me, the invesment may be nothing compared to the peace of mind I get when I send my oldest out onto the road by himself.

Source: Boston.com

I’m always excited when I hear about innovations in automotive design, especially ones that make my job as a driver easier or safer. I’m a big fan of anti-lock brakes (ABS), automatic traction control and stability control. I’ve driven vehicles where these systems literally have saved my neck or at least the skin of the car during an emergency maneuver.

And right now, there’s technology coming pretty quickly down the road that will be a lot more active when it comes to occupant protection. This technology doesn’t wait until it detects that a motorist might be losing vehicle control before it takes over. Rather, it takes over the moment it senses the driver may have put him or herself in a condition that could be dangerous. I’m talking about technology that will determine if a driver has imbibed too much alcohol to safely drive.

Last year, Toyota introduced what it called a “fail-safe system for cars” that detects drunken drivers and automatically shuts the vehicle down when its sensors pick up signs of excessive alcohol consumption. The system uses “sweat detectors” in the steering wheel that automatically determine the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC). The system can then restrict the car from starting if it determines that is necessary.

Think you can outwit your vehicle by slipping on some thick gloves? Think again. It also can detect abnormal steering or use a specially installed camera that monitors the driver’s pupils. If it determines the driver is unfit to operate the vehicle, the system slows the vehicle to a halt. Toyota hopes to have the system in place on its fleet vehicles by 2009.

Toyota isn’t alone in this effort. Nissan actually came out first with its technology that uses sensors in the shift knob to detect BAC levels. When the sensors detect an illegal level, they lock up the transmission.

The system also uses alcohol-odor sensors in the driver and passenger seats that issue voice- and navigation-system alerts when alcohol is detected. If that weren’t enough, Nissan has also incorporated a facial recognition system and driving behavior monitor that gauge driver consciousness or distraction and issue alerts to get the attention of a drowsy driver.

I like these systems for a couple of reasons. First, studies have shown that tired drivers can be just as big a threat as drunk ones. Second, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics for drunk driving rates have decreased only slightly in 10 years. It’s good to see automakers taking some steps to address this national problem.

Will these systems have an impact? Perhaps. I’m guessing to have any real effect we’d have to see them in almost every vehicle. That would take years to happen.

From there, let’s look at some technology I’m not such a big fan of. This technology also will keep you from driving your vehicle in certain circumstances – namely, when you don’t make your car payment.

USA Today just reported that some subprime borrowers buying a car are now required to have a box mounted under their car’s dashboard that essentially forces them to make payments on time or takes away their driving “privileges.” When a payment is due, a light on the box flashes. When the payment isn’t made on time, the box will beep and the car won’t start until a four-digit code is punched into it.

Of course, the only way to get that code is by making the payment. Sekurus, the company that sells the boxes, has sold over 250,000. Another company is selling wireless systems that sends text messages to the car, and one other has begun adding GPS functions to the box to make vehicles easier to repossess.

I think it’s interesting what all these technologies have in common. For years, we’ve assumed that technology will make our lives easier by simplifying all the daily tasks we do. It certainly has. These, regardless of what good they do, send a different message, a message that should bother all of us.

And that message is: We need technology not only to think for us but to help us make ethical choices we should be making on our own.