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