I think it all depends on the child. I should have had one put in my car as a teenager. I was bad. I know if they existed back then, my mother would have put one in and she would have had every right to. Sure, it would have pissed me off then, but at the same time, now that I am older, I understand why she would have. She did things the old fashioned way. She would check the milage on the car before she went to bed and then check it again in the morning. I plan on using that one as well!

Anonymous wrote:As PP said, your bigger worry is distracted driving (texting).

Co-worker of mine just lost his niece, riding in a car while the driver texted. He blew through a stop sign and was T-boned by a truck. She was ejected and died on the scene. Other 3 in the car are in intensive care.

If you can't trust her not to speed, how can you trust her not to text?

Because I know my child's personality. Some kids are good at some things, and not so good at others. It's not like they are all good or all bad. Or all sneaky or all forthright. They are who they are. My kid's got a lead foot.

Anonymous wrote:Ha this weekend I insisted on picking my high school student up from a party (DC doesn't drive yet and I do not know any of his classmates who do drive) and a car load of teens pulled up next to us and there were four in the back seat, so at least two did not have on seat belts. They looked to be 16 ...

If the technology's there, I'm using it. Car crashes are a leading cause of death among teens.

Use it OP. I wrote the above before I read you personal history. USE IT!

PP here. I put a car full of kids in the category of distracted driving. I am not sure that the technology that OP mentions will help that situation - unless she puts a hidden camera in the car or something. Better to have a rule that prohibits car-pooling and open discussion about why it is bad. But this also illustrates my prior point - you do NOT want your kids riding with friends.