The month of August this year sees a record number of U.S. teens turning 16 and becoming eligible for their first driver’s licenses?and a corresponding spike in parental angst as their children undertake the activity that is most likely to kill them. In an effort to assuage the fears of parents, Chevrolet has expanded its offering of the Teen Driver Technology feature that gives parents more oversight of driving activities and may help curb dangerous behaviors.
The first to get it was the 2016 Chevy Malibu. For 2017, the feature will be available on 10 of the brand?s vehicles: the Bolt, Camaro, Colorado, Cruze, Malibu, Silverado, Silverado HD, Suburban, Tahoe, and Volt.
Here?s how it works: Parents register their teen?s key fob in the vehicle?s system settings, and when the car recognizes that fob is in use, it tracks some driving behaviors and limits others. For example, the feature will mute the radio and any paired devices until seatbelts are buckled, and it will give audible and visual warnings when the vehicle travels faster than preset speeds. All available active-safety features, such as lane-departure warning and stability control, are automatically enabled and cannot be turned off by teen drivers. Once teens return home, parents can view what Chevy touts as an industry-first report card. Depending on how the Chevy is equipped, it can offer information on the distance traveled, number of over-speed warnings?including “wide-open-throttle events”?...