What parent of a teenage driver doesn't want the ability to know exactly how their child drives when they're not in the car? None. That's exactly what Chevrolet is banking on to drive sales of its 2016 Malibu mid-sized sedan.
Just imagine having the ability to have control and - literally - serve as a warning system to a teen driver without having to be physically in the car. That's the capability Chevrolet's new Teen Driver system provides. Aimed at fostering safer teen driving habits, the system may also give parents of teens a bit more comfort and help reduce the angst in handing over the car keys.
Teen Driver, which doesn't require any sort of subscription system and is activated by a simple registration via a PIN password, allows a car owner to preset speed limits and issue audio-visual alerts when a safety belt isn't being used.
"We developed this system so parents could use it as a teaching tool with their kids - they can discuss and reinforce safe driving habits," said General Motors safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe in an announcement on Friday, March 20. "As a mother of two, I know anything that has the potential of keeping one's family safer is of great value to parents."
According to GM's announcement, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states the fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16- to 19-year-olds is nearly three times the rate for drivers who are 20 years old or above.
The Teen Driver system comes at a time when auto consumers are expecting technology advances with vehicles. It also illustrates how breakthrough capabilities, such as rear cameras, are being left in the dust for new features and functions.
Chevy may be offering the most comprehensive "teen safety" driving system but it isn't the first carmaker to offer such a feature.
Ford provides a similar safety system called Ford My Key, which lets car owners program a car's key to a restricted driving speed mode.
Technology is fast becoming a dominant differentiator for carmakers as they are being challenged by tech companies in their own industry, with the Google driverless car being the most notable example. Word that Apple may be moving into autonomous vehicle development has spurred tremendous talk by leading car makers and ex-auto industry leaders in the past few months.
While there will always be a consumer concerned with car design and aerodynamics, a growing number of car buyers are very interested in car tech enhancements, connectivity with smartphones and mobile devices, and just how technology is helping drivers use their vehicles to get places more efficiently.
When Teen Driver is activated, the system will mute the radio or any device being paired with the car's system when front seat occupants don't have seat belts engaged.
According to GM, it is the first to offer such a built-in safety driving technology that provides not only warnings on bad driving habits, but provides an actual scorecard report on how the car was driven while the teen driver was behind the wheel.
The report provides insight on maximum speed hit, mileage and whether all safety features were engaged during the car's use. The "report card" also will indicate if there were any stability control events (swerves), antilock brake events (near crashes, hard braking), forward collision alerts and braking events.
The car owner enables the feature by creating a PIN in the settings of the car's MyLink system then registering the key fob given to the teen driver. The settings are only active when the specific car fob is in use.
"The first step with this technology is to make sure that all drivers and passengers within the car are safe," said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet car marketing director.
The system is built into the car and will be a standard feature on the Premier and option on LT models if bought with the Convenience packages and up-level radio.
The 2016 Malibu will make its formal debut next month at the New York Auto Show and will be for sale by the end of the year. The GM announcement did not provide vehicle cost and system cost.
