Beware of “Ping Only” GPS Trackers

At Safe Teen Driving Club we’ve noticed a flood of low cost, limited GPS tracking units hitting the market in recent months. Many of these are from new resellers and off-shore manufacturers just jumping into the market for teen driving safety. But take note!

If you’re shopping for GPS monitors, beware of “Ping only” GPS systems. Those units allow you only to “ping” or “locate” the car to find out where it is and how fast it’s going right now. But there’s no way to see where he drove this morning, or last night. Or how fast. Or at what time. Or at what street addresses.

Many of those GPS units masquerade as full-featured GPS trackers and sport a low price, usually $200-$350 — but they don’t give you any driving history. If you are serious about enforcing and monitoring your teen’s driving, don’t be misled by low cost “ping only” units. They can’t give you the information you need to monitor and coach your young driver.

On the other hand, the Vehicle Tracker gives you weeks of driving history by sending location and speed data continuously to the tracking web site whenever the ignition is ON. This real time reporting lets you have meaningful discussion with your teen about driving behaviors and performance. It’s a best seller and continues on sale through July 31. Be sure to check out the details and learn about possible insurance discounts as well.

The Vehicle Tracker monitors vehicle location, speed and other parameters via global positioning satellites (GPS) and makes reports when pre-set limits are exceeded using an integrated cellular device to parents’ phone and email. A secure, password-protected website allows you to view vehicle driving history in great detail.

This history of driving behavior includes maps and reports showing where the vehicle has been at specific times, at what speed it has been driven and related information that helps parents monitor and enforce the agreements they have established with their youngsters.