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Parents more concerned over teens driving than sex, drugs

<B>DISTRACTED DRIVING:</B> Parents' biggest concern is that teenagers are distracted whilst driving a vehicle. <I>Image: Supplied</I>
<B>DISTRACTED DRIVING:</B> Parents' biggest concern is that teenagers are distracted whilst driving a vehicle. <I>Image: Supplied</I>

Detroit - In August 2016 more than 360 000 teens will become eligible for a restricted driver's license in most American states - and with that, a lot of parents will experience new levels of stress.

According to a Harris Poll survey commissioned by Chevrolet, more parents with teens worry about their child driving (55%) than any other area of parental stress, including drugs and alcohol (52%), sexual activity (49%) and academic performance (53%).

Teen Driver Technology

Chevrolet recognizes this top concern for parents and, as a result, in addition to its suite of available active and passive safety features, offers Teen Driver Technology on 10 of its 2017 cars, trucks and SUVs. Chevrolet's Teen Driver includes an industry-first in-vehicle report card that shows how the teen drove and provides a way for parents to discuss best practices.

READ: Young drivers become careless during holidays - survey

Steve Majoros, director of marketing, Chevrolet cars and crossovers, said: "I, like many of our employees, am a parent of teenagers, so we personally understand the anxiety of having a teen driver in the house.

"And while we can't control a teen's behavior when they are in a car without a parent, Chevrolet's Teen Driver Technology can remind them to buckle up and avoid speeding, while our other available active safety features can help to alert them in certain situations when they're making less-than-perfect driving decisions."

WATCH: Distracted teens - worse than we thought 

Teen Driver supports certain safe driving practices by muting the radio or the audio of any paired device when front seat occupants aren't wearing their safety belts. It also gives audible and visual warnings when the vehicle is traveling faster than preset speeds, and allows parents to limit the maximum volume of the radio.

Keeping the kids in check

Additionally, available active safety features are automatically enabled and incapable of being manually disabled when Teen Driver is in use. These features may include:

  • Lane Departure Warning
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • Front and Rear Park Assist
  • Side Blind Zone Alert
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert
  • Forward Collision Alert
  • Forward Automatic Braking
  • Rear Automatic Braking
  • Front Pedestrian Braking
  • Stability Control
  • Traction Control
  • Daytime Running Lamps/Automatic Light Control

The Teen Driver in-vehicle report card may keep track of the following, depending on the vehicle:

  • Distance driven
  • Maximum speed reached
  • Overspeed warnings issued
  • Stability control events
  • Antilock braking events
  • Traction control activations
  • Wide-open throttle events
  • Forward Collision Alerts, if equipped
  • Forward Collision Braking events, if equipped
  • Tailgating Alerts, if equipped

READ: Distracted driving in SA - 7 worst in-car distractions

Teen Driver is a non-subscription-based service that remains with the vehicle permanently and is available on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, Camaro, Colorado, Cruze, Malibu, Silverado, Silverado HD, Suburban, Tahoe and Volt. To use the safety technology, a parent must register their teen's key fob in the vehicle's system settings.

New for most 2017 models with Teen Driver:

  • Maximum speed limiter   
  • Configurable audio volume limit
  • Additional report card information:
    - Traction control activations
    - Wide-open throttle events 
    - Tailgating alerts, if equipped

Each of the 10 vehicles also features available Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility, to help encourage teens to refrain from using their handheld phones while driving.

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