Young Drivers on the Road: 4 in 5 Parents Use Location Tracking

Drivers are at their most vulnerable as teens, as evidenced by government data showing that the fatal crash rate for drivers aged 16-19 is three times higher than it is for drivers over the age of 20.

Apps and services that allow parents to track the driving history and location of their teenager can offer peace of mind while also helping to develop and promote safer driving habits in teens. This can also help lower car insurance costs without sacrificing coverage quality.

While these benefits are appealing to parents, the teen drivers who are the targets of these apps and services may see tracking as invasive or a violation of their privacy and freedom, meaning parents have to measure the pros and cons of using them.

We surveyed parents to find out how many use tracking technology to monitor their teen drivers, how that tracking impacts the relationship with their children, how many have caught their kids misbehaving, and more.

Key findings

More than 4 in 5 parents (85%) have the ability to track their teen's driving behavior.
78% said this type of tracking leads their kids to make better decisions.
39% rely on location tracking without their teens' knowledge.
Nearly half of parents (49%) have used tracking to catch their teen misbehaving.

How many parents track their teens behind the wheel

Built-in tracking apps are available on many cell phones, and a number of additional apps and services exist that can easily track and report someone's location. And there are insurance apps that monitor driving behavior specifically. All of this has made it easier than ever for parents to track and monitor their child when they are behind the wheel.

The vast majority of parents are taking advantage of tracking technology, with just 15% of parents with teenage drivers saying they do not have any way to track their child's location or driving behaviors. That means that more than 4 in 5 parents, 85%, can monitor their child.

Just because someone can monitor their teen doesn't mean they actively do. We found that most parents take advantage of their ability to monitor their teens, though. More than two-thirds of parents (67%) report that they actively check on their teen's driving. That includes 39% of parents who say that they check their child's location or driving history frequently when their teen is out of the house.

Interestingly, many teens may not even know they are being tracked when they grab the keys. More than one-third of parents, 39%, say that they track their teen driver's location without their child knowing they are being monitored. This kind of covert spying may provide parents with extra peace of mind, but can also be seen as an invasion of privacy, which could hurt trust between child and parent if the teen finds out they have been spied on.

Does tracking a teen make them a better driver?

Tracking how a teen is driving and where they're going can ease a parent's fears. They can see their child has arrived at their destination safely, and it can also alert parents when their teenager goes somewhere they shouldn't or engages in dangerous behavior behind the wheel.

Nearly half of parents who track their teen drivers say that they have actually caught their teen misbehaving in some way because they were monitoring them. The advantage to parents here is that being alerted to bad behavior makes it easier to address, correct, and help their teen avoid that same behavior in the future.

How tracking teen drivers impacts relationships with parents

Finally, we asked parents to tell us about the impact tracking their teenage driver has had on their parent-child relationship.

Given that many parents secretly track their teen drivers and even more use tracking technology to catch their child misbehaving, it is reasonable to assume that tracking has a negative impact on most parent-child relationships. While a little more than a quarter of parents, 28%, report that to be true, more than half (55%) say that tracking their child's driving has actually helped to improve their relationship with their child.

A significant factor in this result may be that more than three-quarters of parents, 78%, believe tracking their child's driving encourages their teen to make better decisions. The majority of parents feel that tracking their teen makes them better and safer drivers.

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Bottom line

Here are some smart insurance tips to help you protect your teen and your budget.

Find plans suited for inexperienced drivers. Learn which car insurance options are best suited for teen drivers, including what to look for when weighing your options.
Use discounts and savings strategies. Unlock practical ways to save money on car insurance while still maintaining strong protection.
Compare policies designed for multi-driver households. Compare family car insurance plans to identify any gaps in coverage for you and your loved ones.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults via the Pollfish platform. Answers were limited to respondents with teenage drivers.

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