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Discrete Wireless Launches GPS Teen Tracking Distributor Network |
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Written by D Benson
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Apr 10, 2006 at 10:53 AM |
Atlanta-based Discrete Wireless, Inc., a leading provider of GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems, announced their official Teen Tracking Dealer Network, a new program for coordinating Discrete Wireless distributors who specialize in providing, installing, and training of GPS Vehicle Tracking solutions for parents of teen drivers.
"The teen market has always been important to us," said Doug Benson, Director of Marketing for Discrete Wireless. "But before we could be dedicated in creating a successful consumer business around the teen market, we needed to build a superior product for our core Fleet Management business."
Discrete Wireless's GPS Vehicle Tracking system, called Marcus, is currently used by more than 2,000 businesses in the United States and Canada. Service and Distribution businesses have been the primary focus for Discrete Wireless since they began shipping Marcus in the winter of 2000.
"For the last five years we have focused on building and delivering the best GPS Vehicle Tracking system to service and distribution companies," Benson continued. "What we learned from tracking tens of thousands of business vehicles around the country created a solution that happens to be the most powerful, reliable, and feature-rich GPS system for monitoring teens."
There are dozens of phone-based GPS solution providers who market GPS tracking to parents of teens. As in the commercial fleet business use of GPS tracking, handset-based GPS solutions fall far short of a permanently installed unit in satisfying the expectations of a parent. "Teens are going to manipulate turning on and off the phone, moving it, leaving it somewhere. There are a million ways to defeat the validity of a GPS handset, and just like fleet customers, teen drivers learn all the tricks fast."
Automobile accidents are the No. 1 cause of teen deaths in the United States. Every year, nearly 5,000 16-19-year-olds are killed on the nation's roads, according the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
How it works
In about thirty minutes, a GPS unit is installed in a vehicle. Parents can then log onto the secure website and see exactly where that vehicle is at any time, 24/7. Additionally parents can customize the system to notify them with alerts when certain events occur or don't occur. For example, the Marcus system sends a text message to one or more mobile phones when a teen's vehicle goes into or outside pre-defined areas, speeds, or is used at odd hours.
"Using our system, parents can be immediately notified, by text message, blackberry, or email, if their teen does something they shouldn't. For instance, going to a particular house or business, leaving school during school hours, or exceeding pre-defined speed limits," said Benson. "The bottom line is if a teen knows that his or her parents are aware of everything they and their vehicle is doing, they are going to change their behavior. Impulse control saves lives and helps prevent accidents, period."
One teen who wished to remain anonymous said, "At first I didn't like it, but I soon realized that it gives me a way out of doing things that I really don't want to do. It eliminates peer pressure. I tell my friends that my parents can see everything we do, and everywhere we go in my car, and my friends don't ask anymore."
Additionally, the comprehensive reports are frequently used by parents to openly study with teens how to learn to be better drivers, how to take safer routes, how to ensure a driver does not get lost, and many other safe driving educational aspects. "Basically, it's on-line Drivers Ed, with a real-time monitoring system," said Benson.
Insurance companies know this well. Progressive Insurance is currently testing a program in Minnesota that allows customers to sign up for a behavioral-based GPS program, which allows the company to track speeds and distances of client's vehicles. A participating customer could receive as much as a 25 percent discount on their insurance.
"Discounts on insurance rates are great - no one knows this as well as parents of a teen driver," said Benson. "But our real goal is results. This is a best of class product that can, and we believe will, save the lives of many teen drivers. We want to help teens get past those few years where they don't always make the best decisions behind the wheel of a car."
What this means:
Teen Tracking is a growing segment of the aftermarket telematics market. With new legislation such as graduated licensing programs being instilled across the U.S., concern and interest in this area is clearly growing.
"What is interesting here is the fact that concerned parents are installing GPS tracking equipment on one side and insurance carriers such as Progressive are also installing both GPS and non-GPS tracking/driver monitoring systems (on a voluntary basis) from the other side, states Frank Viquez, ABI Research director of automotive research.
"The result, we think will be a new generation of drivers which may eventually become accustomed to or become "de-sensitized" to the fact that they are being tracked, whether it be by family members, insurance companies for discounts, or eventually government agencies. This can obviously be taken as a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it."
Another consideration is that the whole aftermarket telematics market in and of itself, is quite small and specialized niche players catering to the teen tracking market will most likely become displaced by aftermarket security giants such as Directed Electronics (DEI) and Audiovox and even by wireless carriers themselves through the use of GPS-enabled handsets.
Teen Tracking is a growing segment of the aftermarket telematics market. With new legislation such as graduated licensing programs being instilled across the U.S., concern and interest in this area is clearly growing. "What is interesting here is the fact that concerned parents are installing GPS tracking equipment on one side and insurance carriers such as Progressive are also installing both GPS and non-GPS tracking/driver monitoring systems (on a voluntary basis) from the other side, states Frank Viquez, ABI Research director of automotive research. "The result, we think will be a new generation of drivers which may eventually become accustomed to or become "de-sensitized" to the fact that they are being tracked, whether it be by family members, insurance companies for discounts, or eventually government agencies. This can obviously be taken as a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it." Another consideration is that the whole aftermarket telematics market in and of itself, is quite small and specialized niche players catering to the teen tracking market will most likely become displaced by aftermarket security giants such as Directed Electronics (DEI) and Audiovox and even by wireless carriers themselves through the use of GPS-enabled handsets. |
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