The Teen Arrive Alive system, which uses a global positioning chip, gives parents another way to keep an eye on their teenagers.
By Associated Press
Published August 2, 2004
BRADENTON - Parents can track their teenager's every move through a new high-tech system that uses a global positioning chip in a cell phone to record the child's location, direction and speed.
Some people tout the Teen Arrive Alive system as a way of keeping safe a population that is increasingly likely to die in car crashes. Others say it shows how little some parents trust their children.
Parents can program a device to sound an alarm if a teenager drives faster than a designated speed. The company also offers bumper stickers with a toll-free number for reporting reckless behavior.
Robert Berry, company founder and president, helped found Sertec Inc., an Atlanta-based company that distributed "How's my driving?" bumper stickers for commercial trucks.
With $1-million in startup money from a former high school classmate, Berry said he started the Bradenton-based business in June to give adults another parenting tool. He is not saying how many customers have registered for the GPS service that charges $14.99 a month. Teens who drive responsibly while using the system earn points that allow them to compete for prizes, such as CDs, Xbox game consoles and cars donated by sponsors.
The U.S. Transportation Department reported 8,278 people age 15 to 20 were killed in car crashes in 2002, up 12 percent from 10 years earlier.
