Teenagers, Cars and GPS?
Our youngest daughter will be turning 16 in Jan. My wife wants to give her
a GPS unit for the car. My wife's logic is she would be a safer driver, if
she didn't knew where she was going, and was not looking for street names
and addresses.It seems to me that another electronic toy in the car is just another thing
to distract her from watching the road. Does anyone have any experience with GPS and teenagers? and Most importantly, does anyone have any experience buying a handheld unit
that has both maps for city driving and nautical charts? |
Lord
Dec 10
2005
|
| You can watch "soaps" on a DVD? Is that what you do between posts? TV, DVD, etc. are illegal if visible by the driver in many states, if
not all, but you already knew that, right? |
Dan
Dec 11
|
| I'm glad you have faith in our youth. I've been coaching teens and
pre-teens for about 8 years and whenever I start to think we're all going to
hell I just have to think about the kids I coach and have coached to realize
there are a lot of great kids out there! The media on the other hand makes it seem like soddom and gomorrah are upon
us. |
Bryan
Dec 11
|
| The illegality of something does not mean it's not happening. |
Bryan
Dec 11
|
| Sure, but that could be said about a lot of things. This was a response
to the discussion. |
Dan
Dec 11
|
| It probably would have been interesting, but as a father of two
myself, you really don't want to know. :>) |
Shortwave
Dec 11
|
| What the hell is wrong with you! Do you need medication? See a shrink. |
Bryan
Dec 10
|
| JR, You seem to have an absence of faith in our youth. Say it ain't so. I'll
bet you were young once. |
Bryan
Dec 10
|
| You forgot to teach her how to eat the Carls Jr. double cheeseburger
without getting food on her clothes! |
Bryan
Dec 10
|
| I read that people were putting DVD players in the front console of
their car. That will be the next problem...best stay off the streets
when the 'soaps' are on. |
Don
Dec 11
|
| Harry, your (*not* the universal 'your') NPD is in full blossom. --
John H MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wishing you Peace, Fellowship, and Good Humor as we celebrate the birth of OUR Lord, Jesus Christ on the Christmas Holy Day. |
John
Dec 10
|
| JohnH,
Oh I wish Harry would "tumble" with me. ; ) I really don't know what "tumble" means, but it sounds sexual. Ewwwww, I
think I just had a little vomit come up. The funny thing, I think Harry
believes what he says. He thinks by not responding directly to my posts,
and only responding 2nd hand or with one of his "Macros", that he is
punishing me. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| Eh? |
Dec 10
|
| As the father of 3 twenty-something daughters I think it would have been
interesting to review the breadcrumb trail after some of their outings. -rick- |
-rick-
Dec 10
|
| Yeah, I sure was. I started driving at 13, Had 16 tickets by the time I
was 17. Was on a first-name basis with the two local fuzz that kept
busting me (Kunkel and Deloren-good title for a shoot-em-up cop
show...). I was, and am an exceptionally competent driver, just lacked
self restraint and maturity back then. In those times, no cell phones,
gps, dvd players, sub woofers or"1000 watt" sound systems. Just 100
octane gas, square turns and smoking rear tires.
I have an abundance of faith in our youth. But ADHP disorder and
electronic distractions have no place in a drivers mind, and
unfortunatly our current crop of youth suffer in overwhelming numbers
from both.
JR
|
JR
Dec 10
|
| Harry has one thing going for him. He stays around during the weekends and provides entertainment,
whereas Kevin doesn't. Harry thinks the NPD thing is a joke. --
John H MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wishing you Peace, Fellowship, and Good Humor as we celebrate the birth of OUR Lord, Jesus Christ on the Christmas Holy Day. |
John
Dec 10
|
| PS. He's wrong. --
John H MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wishing you Peace, Fellowship, and Good Humor as we celebrate the birth of OUR Lord, Jesus Christ on the Christmas Holy Day. |
John
Dec 10
|
| When I go out to the car, I'll get you the name of the company that makes
the nice map books. Maybe they make one for your town. |
Doug
Dec 10
|
| Around here, it is ADC MAPs, but there are several publishers who put
out similar materials: http://www.adcmap.com/catalog/index.php Smithers needs a map to get out of town? |
Harry
Dec 10
|
| Washington has a special license for young drivers. I may have a few of
the details fuzzy, but in general it works like this: If you get your
license at 16, you cannot drive with another
person under 21 in the car for the first several months. They may also
be some restriction about driving after dark- or at least in the wee
hours of the morning. After the proscribed time period elapses without
ticket, accident, or being caught with other kids in the car the
licensee "graduates" to a full fledged, unrestricted driver's license.
Makes all the sense in the world to me- they put they kids through
driver's ed and have them drive a circle around
the neighborhood cul-de-sac. It's a long way from those back road,
suburban experiences to the bumper-to-bumper at 70mph horn blaring, no
turn signalling, finger waving, high beam flashing reality of the
freeways these days. Kids, as well as the rest of us, need to
concentrate on the road. Hang up and drive. It's interesting that some insurance companies are now charging more
for girls than for boys. Maybe in the era of hot rods and muscle cars
the boys tended to engage in more dangerous behavior, but in the era of
cell phones the girls are now so distracted they aren't driving as
carefully as they should? GPS for a kid? Where in the sam heck are they going with the car that
they wouldn't have been able to walk, take a bus, or ride a bike last
year, (and without GPS), before they were a driver? :-) |
chuckgould.chu...
Dec 10
|
| I'd be more interested in a tracking device in my teenage daughter's car.
Hulk Hogan put one in his daughter's car when she started dating! Actually, think of it this way: your teen can pull over to look at the gps
if she gets lost instead of stopping to ask stranger's the way or wandering
about possibly into neighborhood's that aren't safe. Just stress the
importance of pulling over to read the gps. Of course, with a friend in the
car, they would be the navigator. And don't forget to teach her how to read
a map. Bryan |
Bryan
Dec 10
|
| "Lord Reginald Smithers" <Ask me about my driveway leading up to my |
Fred
Dec 10
|
| Chuck, Unfortunately, Mass Transit sucks in my area. There are very few sidewalks,
so riding a bike outside of the neighborhood is very rarely seen. The
parents run the kids up to the mall, to the movies, to friends and to
school functions etc. What surprised by my wife and myself with the other
kids, is that the kids had no idea how to get from point A to point B, even
though they had been driven there for years. It seems that their mind was
in another world. That might be why they never responded as we talked to
them. When I give my wife my input on the idea of a Tom-Tom for the car, I am sure
she will ask her friends. I am also certain they will agree with the
consensus of rec.boats. It also shows what a great job Tom-Tom is doing
with marketing. My wife is not a techno guru, but she thought it was the
best thing since sliced bread. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| Geeez...a cell phone, gps, blabbing friends, blaring tunes...Hope your
insurance is paid up. Oh, and please tell us where she will be driving,
so we can get the hell out of the way.
JR
|
JR
Dec 10
|
| Fred,
Yes, but we don't allow her to use it in the car. "Fred Dehl" <freddehl@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| JR,
Where do you live? I am going to ask her to put her practice hours in your
neighborhood. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| I've noticed that Krause does not respond to your posts. Do you have any
idea why? Did you embarrass him or somethin? --
Skipper |
Skipper
Dec 10
|
| Skipper,
I have no idea, I have always been polite in all of my conversations with
him. My guess is he does not feel he can converse with someone with my
educational background. ; ) |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| Well, I have noticed he's just not journeyman TV news anchor material.
He does present more as a weekend cub reporter. You may be right, it
might just be a case of being upstaged by your presence. His type does
not handle that well. --
Skipper |
Skipper
Dec 10
|
| Smithers is an embarrassment to his parents, not to me. |
Harry
Dec 10
|
| Harry,
Did you know my parents? My mother was an angel wasn't she? |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| LMAO! On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 09:59:20 -0500, "Lord Reginald Smithers" <Ask me about my driveway leading up to
my manor.> wrote: --
John H MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wishing you Peace, Fellowship, and Good Humor as we celebrate the birth of OUR Lord, Jesus Christ on the Christmas Holy Day. |
John
Dec 10
|
| You're just noticing that now?
Who said you were a bit slow? |
Don
Dec 10
|
| 'Preciate that. My lawyer has been bugging me for a new case lately.
JR Lord Reginald Smithers wrote:
|
JR
Dec 10
|
| JR,
NP, my wife wanted our daughter to learn how to drink coffee while applying
makeup and chatting on the phone all at the same time. I thought the GPS
unit was over the top, but as long as she has a nice quiet neighborhood to
practice in, it probably will be ok. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| Smithers wants sooooo badly for me to give him a tumble, he can almost
taste it. He spends most of his time in rec.boats writing questions to
me that will never be answered, and comments about me that he thinks
will upset me in some way. If there is a clinical variant of "obsessed asshole," Smithers is its name. Skipper, of course, is in a different category. He's sort of outrageous
like NOYB (though not nearly as clever), and as boring in his dogma as
that "other" Dave Hall that used to visit here. One can imagine Skippy encountering a burglar in his house and telling
the guy to wait while he finds his pistol and flicks on the laser light,
only to find out the wal-mart batteries he bought have corroded it out. Mr. Bayliner...the great offshore boater, plying the deep, dangerous,
and dark waters of...Kansas.
|
Harry
Dec 10
|
| Harry,
My feeling are hurt. Do you really think I am an obsessed a$$hole? Can you imagine anyone who would follow someone else around making snide
comments after everyone's post. Can you imagine the type of person who
would do that with hundreds of people. Someone who would visit alt.obits,
and rec.jetski just to instigate fights so he could use his limited
vocabulary to sling silly insults? I am glad I only chat with you, and stay
away from the silly insults. I am glad I only chat about those things you
have already made a topic of conversation. My feelings are hurt, because I place so much value in your opinion. Is
there something I can do to make up? Maybe we can get together for a beer
and a spin in your Lobster Boat. I'll buy the diesel fuel. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| Fits harry like a glove "The other "punishment" narcissists mete out is banishing you from their
glorious presence" "The narcissist expects that you will be devastated by the withdrawal of
her/his divine attention, so that after a while -- a few weeks or months
(i.e., the next time the narcissist needs to use you for something) -- the
narcissist will expect you to have learned your lesson and be eager to
return to the fold. If you have learned your lesson" "They can't see that they have a problem; it's always somebody else who
has the problem and needs to change" |
P
Dec 10
|
| Ahem - my daughters were taught by me. World of difference between them and other teen drivers. |
Shortwave
Dec 10
|
| This may sound harsh, but your wife should be chained to a wall in the
cellar and fed unheated, undiluted store brand cream of celery soup one
spoonful at a time until she agrees to forget this hideous idea. 1) Anyone who cannot learn to read a map or jot down driving directions with
a Flair pen (so it's fat & easy to read while driving) should not be allowed
out of the house. 2) You're right - the electronic device will be another distraction,
particularly in light of #3: 3) Speak to your insurance agent and ask which gender gets hit with higher
rates at her age. Mine says it's girls. Used to be boys when I was young.
Either something's changed, or young girls have always been worse, but the
insurance agency didn't notice this 35 years ago. Girls are awful drivers.
Your daughter doesn't need any help to be worse. 4) Every time you're being tailgated *really badly*, try and notice what
kind of driver it is. Young girls are the worst with this. The last thing
she needs is a toy in the car that'll keep her from noticing the license
plate she's about to eat for lunch. |
Doug
Dec 10
|
| Doug,
Well now that I have support for my veto, can I defer from celery soup
torture? I am afraid my wife feel victim to the ad for Tom-Tom. I think she can
remember when she started to drive and did not know her way around town.
They make Tom-Tom seem like the computer from Star Trek, and my guess it is
not as user friendly as the Star Trek Computer. Our other kids found Mapquest to be a god send, and I hope our youngest
enjoys the beauty and simplicity of Mapquest. I am glad you didn't suggest I tie her to the TV and shot the TV. You are
mellowing in your old age. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| I'd question her first to be sure there are no remnants of her errant |
Doug
Dec 10
|
| Doug, As someone who started driving using fold up maps and has since converted to
Mapquest I find Mapquest far superior. It is on one page, versus a fold up
map where you have to refold the map to cover the area you want to travel.
You can change the scale and detail to fit your needs. You can easily
review your route before you leave, and it only requires minimum review
along the way. You don't have to worry about the fold up map getting torn
in the car, or being destroy by numerous folding and unfolding, trying to
fold the map correctly after your wife and daughters had incorrectly folded
the map numerous times. Or even trying to locate the map after the wife and
children have driven the car. Now, if you EVER mention fold up maps again, you are either going down to
the basement or tied to the TV. I personally would vote for the TV gag. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| Aren't there map books of your city??? The one I have is rugged, and the
scale is perfect for driving around and quickly spotting where you are. |
Doug
Dec 10
|
| Doug,
This conversation is finished. I do not want to discuss fold up maps or map
books anymore. If you insist on continuing this conversation, I will be
forced to create a MACRO. Don't make me create a MACRO on you now. ; ) "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote in message |
Lord
Dec 10
|
| I agree with all the advice Doug has offered. We had a rule with our kids just after they got their license...no
more than one friend in the car at any time. Statistics show that the
frequency of accidents increases when a new driver has more than one friend
in the car. The more kids in the car..the more distractions. Our other rule was no talking on the cell phone when driving. Speaking of cell phones.....you may want to consider getting her one if she
does not already have one. If she has her own car a membership to AAA is
also a good idea. Regarding insurance premiums for boys vs. girls...our experience is
that the premium is *much* higher on boys than girls. |
Dec 10
|
| JimH,
We have always purchased the kids a cell phone when they turned 15. This
just happened to match up with when they started to date or go out with
friends who have a car. They think it is the best thing since sliced bread,
and my wife and I love being able to get in touch with them whenever we
want. The new family plans make it reasonable. |
Lord
Dec 10
|
