How To Protect Your Teen from Distracted Driving

“This is a sponsored post on behalf of Sentinel. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.”

Did you know that talking on a cellphone while driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk?

Actually texting and driving is six times worse, making distracted teens 23 times more likely to crash. I’ve worried about this ever since my son started driving 2 years ago. My daughter will be getting her license soon too. When my kids are out driving themselves and friends to school, work, parties, dates etc. I’m always so worried that something might happen to them. It’s not that I don’t trust them. It’s that I know what a temptation it is to look at your phone when you are driving. I’m also worried about all the other distracted drivers out there that might also hurt my kids. Not only my driving kids, but my kids that are playing outside.

The most important thing you can do to help prevent distracted driving is to talk to your teens about it. Over and over and over again. Every time they leave the house remind them to put their phone away and drive responsibly. I remind my kids that a car can be a weapon. When we drive irresponsibly, a car can kill and we will be held accountable.

I don’t like to teach my kids lessons through threats and scare tactics, but I think sometimes when it’s a really important topic like this one, it’s called for. We have been beyond fortunate when it comes to car accidents. My family has not experienced a traumatic experience when it comes to cars. So they don’t know how severe a car accident can be. There are a few really good videos out there that help remind us of the importance of keeping our eyes on the road and driving distraction free.

This is such a great video to show to your teen driver: “I want you to look at the last text you sent or received and I want you to ask yourself, is that text worth losing your life over?”

Another very sad true story where the teens can hear from the driver and see that he is suffering the consequences of his actions.

There are many videos on YouTube you can show your teen driver to help them understand how dangerous distracted driving is. I would suggest heading over there and search “Distracted Driving” and choose the videos that are appropriate for your teen driver to see. Some kids are more sensitive than others.

As I did more research about teen drivers, I really wanted something in our cars that would remind them to get off their phones. I didn’t want to rely on them remembering to turn on an app to disable their phone while driving. I wanted something more.

That’s when I found Sentinel.

I think the Sentinel is a great fit for our family. It’s an amazing little device that tracks all sorts of things that the car is doing, where it’s going, and what’s happening inside the car with cell phones.

Sentinel is a smart device that actually helps teens learn to drive safer, while showing concerned parents exactly how, when and where their child is driving.

Just like a seat belt reminder chime, Sentinel reminds the driver to put their phone in airplane mode when they get in the car. This reminder will eventually create a habit for my teen to turn off his phone as soon as he gets in the car. Now, you may think, I don’t want them to have to turn their phone all the way off or put it in airplane mode. What if they need to use their phone?

Well, why would they need to use their phone while driving. Why would you call or text them while they were driving? It only takes one second for them to look down to see WHO texted them, let alone read a text from you. If there is an emergency your child can pull over and call you, right? If my teen is driving and I need to get a hold of them, I can have the Sentinel tell them to safely pull over and call home. They don’t have to look down at the Sentinel. It’s all audio.

Distracted driving control is the main reason we chose the Sentinel, but it has so many other benefits for parents.

• Cell phone: Sentinel detects texting, talking, posting – even “checking”.
• Speeding: Parents set a limit and get an alert if your teen is driving too fast.
• Location: Parents can designate safe areas and know where their teen’s car is at all time.
• Time of Day: Know if your teen is driving past curfew.
• Behavior Shaping: Audio alerts, accountability to parents and progress tracking.
• Notifications: Parents can choose how often and what type of notifications you get.

Sentinel is one of the most powerful driver activity tracing tools available to parents. Parents can talk to their teens about their driving habits, track progress and have better conversations about being a saver driver.

Just like the seat belt chime, Sentinel reminds teens to turn off their phones (or choose Airplane mode) behind the wheel — until it becomes a habit. If a parent needs to get in touch, Sentinel will let them know to safely pull over and turn on their phone. If a driver ignores Sentinel’s audio alerts, Sentinel reports that to the parent. Sentinel alerts parents of cellphone activity, speeding, driving outside a parent-approved radius or driving past the curfew they set. This accountability encourages safer behavior. Sentinel is one of the most powerful driver activity tracking tools available to parents, so families can see problems, track progress, and have better conversations about driving safer. Plus, studies show that seeing progress over time helps reinforce new behaviors.

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