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36 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY AUGUST 2015 goodGUIDE DRIVEN TO PROTECT THEM BEHIND THE WHEEL Your teen gets a drivers license and spoiler alert life as you know it has changed forever and you thought having kids was the biggest life-changer youd experience. From now on youll pace nervously until the text confirmation of her arrival while parked of course. And youll never fall asleep until you hear the garage door open to signify her safe return. But how can you know for sure your young driver is making the right choices and staying safe Technology is now your best friend. Auto insurance providers offer devices to monitor and report the cars rate of speed when your teen drives. Some automobile ignitions will deactivate if the driver has alcohol on his breath and smart phones make tracking available. Dallas dad Jay Bell depends on tracking APPs to find his childor at least his mobile phone. Bell whose son will get his license this summer feels more secure about letting him drive if he can monitor his whereabouts. I know if my son forgets to text me when he arrives at his destination I can track his phone to see if hes where hes supposed to be. Alicia Wanek of Plano agrees and is planning ahead. My teens are not driving yet but my husband has already looked into tracking devices and to see if there are ways to disable texting while the car is moving. A Dallas mom who chooses to remain anonymous says it depends on maturity. I would not put a tracking device on them says the mom of two teens. They know they have to keep in touch. Theyre good kids who talk to us a lot and Ive nev- er had to worry about them. My husband and I laid a lot of groundwork in the early years and never felt the need to snoop. Jane Ito of Richardson uses a low-tech approach plus a track- ing APP that seems to be working. She drafted a 13-point con- tract for her 16-year-old son to sign that outlines rules by which he must abide or he will lose his driving privilege. Its useful to put things in writing because my son like other teens doesnt always listen to words. Ito reminds her son that his life the lives of his passengers and the lives of other drivers on the road are at stake. Bell plans to craft a driving contract for his son as well. It tells him what I expect in clear terms and if he doesnt adhere to the rules he has to face the consequences. Bell will also tie school performance to driving. If he doesnt put in the effort and get the grades expected of him during a grading period then his car will sit in the driveway and not be driven by him until the next set of grades come out. Whatever your choice remember the State of Texas has strict laws for teen drivers and at mini- mum your child must follow them. Teens are required to get 30 hours of behind-the-wheel driver training practice to become eligible to graduate from a driving permit to a provisional drivers license. All teen drivers must adhere to Graduated Driver License GDL restrictions until age 18 ww1. texas.aaa.comen-txdriving-resourc- estrip-planning-mapsPagesnew- driver-laws.aspx including for the first 12 months a provisional license holder under the age of 18 may not drive with more than 1 person under the age of 21 that is not an immedi- ate family member teen drivers may not drive between the hours of mid- night and 500 AM except for medical emergencies purposes of employment or a school sanctioned activity after 6 months both the passenger and time restrictions are waived. drivinglaws. orgteentexteen.php