cars news 10: Chevrolet Adds Teen Driver Tech to 9 New Models

Chevrolet rolled out its teen driver monitoring feature last year on the 2016 Malibu, and now nine additional models will receive the technology. These include the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt, Camaro, Colorado, Cruze, Silverado, Silverado HD, Suburban, Tahoe, and Volt. If you’re a teen who doesn’t want the parental Big Brother experience, you’d better hope your folks give you keys to a Cruze or Spark instead.

The free feature warns teens when they’re driving faster than speed rules set by their parents. It can also set limits for speed and radio volume, and will mute the audio system when occupants aren’t wearing seat belts. Teens are also barred from disabling safety features on the car including lane departure warning, park assist, and side blind zone alert.

Not only does the system warn teens of potential road dangers, it analyzes the teen’s driving performance and sends back a “report card” to parents. That means parents will know the exact distance their teens drove, the speed they reached, and depending on the car, if they tailgated anyone and if automatic braking had to be used during any given drive. Along with the nanny system, the 10 vehicles offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility to discourage teens from fiddling with their phones while driving.

Chevrolet isn’t the only automaker to offer a teen driving feature. Ford rolled out its MyKey technology several years ago, allowing parents to set audio and speed rules. But Chevy says it’s the first automaker to offer in-vehicle report cards for both parents and teens to see.

Source: Chevrolet