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Cameras in Cars Keep Watch on Teens
By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
(March 1) - Parents in three Midwestern states will soon know just how good - or bad - their kids' driving is when their children take the car for a spin.
Starting today, American Family Insurance is offering customers with teen drivers free cameras that record what happens when a sudden change in the vehicle's movement occurs.
The cameras record the action inside and in front of the car in 20-second audio-video clips. The clips are then transmitted via cellular technology to DriveCam, a San Diego company that analyzes the clips for risky behavior.
Among things the analysts look for is the response time of the drivers and if they are paying attention to the road.
Parents can receive a report on their kids' driving and view the clips on a home computer.
Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"At the end of the day, there will be fewer accidents," Rick Fetherston, vice president for public relations at American Family, said of the new system.
American Family said it will test the system out by offering it for free for one year to 30,000 families in Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota. The aim of the pilot program is to see whether the system results in fewer accidents, said Jack Salzwedel, president and chief executive of American Family.
If the system is proven to prevent accidents then customers who volunteer to use it might see their insurance premiums drop, Salzwedel says.
He says his company would not be viewing the videos or individual score cards, unless there is an accident.
Bruce Moeller, president and CEO of DriveCam, says his company's system is already being used by companies with fleets of vehicles.
"Some of our clients are all touting a 30% to 90% reduction in their risky driver events," Moeller says.
But Philip Sieff, a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, has concerns.
"If I got to the point where I felt I needed a camera in the car to watch over my kids, I shouldn't be letting them drive," he says.
American Family tested the system in two high schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Megan Ireland, 17, says the camera caught her stopping too late and taking turns too fast. The student at Prior Lake High School in Savage, Minn., said she didn't like it because she felt it invaded her privacy but has warmed up to the system.
"Now I don't really have a problem with it because it's made me a better driver," she says. "For real."
By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
(March 1) - Parents in three Midwestern states will soon know just how good - or bad - their kids' driving is when their children take the car for a spin.
Starting today, American Family Insurance is offering customers with teen drivers free cameras that record what happens when a sudden change in the vehicle's movement occurs.
The cameras record the action inside and in front of the car in 20-second audio-video clips. The clips are then transmitted via cellular technology to DriveCam, a San Diego company that analyzes the clips for risky behavior.
Among things the analysts look for is the response time of the drivers and if they are paying attention to the road.
Parents can receive a report on their kids' driving and view the clips on a home computer.
Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"At the end of the day, there will be fewer accidents," Rick Fetherston, vice president for public relations at American Family, said of the new system.
American Family said it will test the system out by offering it for free for one year to 30,000 families in Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota. The aim of the pilot program is to see whether the system results in fewer accidents, said Jack Salzwedel, president and chief executive of American Family.
If the system is proven to prevent accidents then customers who volunteer to use it might see their insurance premiums drop, Salzwedel says.
He says his company would not be viewing the videos or individual score cards, unless there is an accident.
Bruce Moeller, president and CEO of DriveCam, says his company's system is already being used by companies with fleets of vehicles.
"Some of our clients are all touting a 30% to 90% reduction in their risky driver events," Moeller says.
But Philip Sieff, a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, has concerns.
"If I got to the point where I felt I needed a camera in the car to watch over my kids, I shouldn't be letting them drive," he says.
American Family tested the system in two high schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Megan Ireland, 17, says the camera caught her stopping too late and taking turns too fast. The student at Prior Lake High School in Savage, Minn., said she didn't like it because she felt it invaded her privacy but has warmed up to the system.
"Now I don't really have a problem with it because it's made me a better driver," she says. "For real."
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