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GM has built a smart car that keeps teens from being stupid

Malibu Teen Driver 02
© General Motors

For all the worried parents of teenage drivers out there, GM has your back. The 2016 Chevy Malibu — set to be made available to the public later this year — will come with a pre-installed and permanent Teen Driver system that lets parents monitor their kids and prevent them from doing unsafe things.

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Here are some of examples of what the system can do:

  • The radio stays on mute until the front safety belts are fastened.
  • Parents can set the radio's max volume to a lower level.
  • Parents can enter a maximum speed for the car anywhere from 40-75 mph. If the maximum speed is exceeded, the driver is notified with a visual warning and an audible chime.
  • In addition, all of the smart car's features are automatically activated when using 'Teen Driver,' including traction control, forward collision alert, front and rear park assist, side blind zone alert, front pedestrian braking, and automatic light control.
  • The system generates a report for parents that highlights top speed, driving distance, how many times the driver went over the pre-set speed limit, and how often the vehicle's safety features were activated.

To use the system, parents will first need to create a PIN in order to register the teen's key fob. Once activated, the system becomes an ideal safe-driving chaperone. 

Considering that the fatal crash rate per miles driven for teens ages 16-19 is higher than that of any other age range, an improvement like this in the next generation of smart cars seems like it will help save lives, regardless of whether or not it ends up annoying a few drivers along the way.

Teens General Motors
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