Teen Driving

I was wondering if any members have put speed limiters on their teenagers car. My son just got pulled over for triple digits on the NJ turnpike. We got lucky and got a nice trooper....wrote him for only careless driving ( 85$ and 2 points). Does anyone have experience with any commercially available limiters? He's driving a 2010 Infinity G37x

 

Thanks

( He's driving a 2010 Infinity G37x)

 

This is your problem right there. My first car was a slow junker, and now I'm happy it was.

 

Because I drove the crap out of it. But it wasn't that fast of a car to start with.

 

Get him a slower car and he will live longer.

( He's driving a 2010 Infinity G37x)

 

This is your problem right there. My first car was a slow junker, and now I'm happy it was.

 

Because I drove the crap out of it. But it wasn't that fast of a car to start with.

 

Get him a slower car and he will live longer.

 

 

He's going to be 20. Just did a knuckle head thing. I'm putting in a GPS system that will track his speed, acceleration/deceleration and location. A slower car is a nice idea but what cars out there can't do 90 plus? His friends with 4 cylinders speed also. Bad driving habits are bad habits and need to be changed.....

Get him a Toyota Echo. That was my second car in high school. It was slow and scary to drive fast in. It disuaded me from breaking the speed limit. If you're footing the bill for him, he gets to drive what you choose.

He's going to be 20. Just did a knuckle head thing. I'm putting in a GPS system that will track his speed, acceleration/deceleration and location. A slower car is a nice idea but what cars out there can't do 90 plus? His friends with 4 cylinders speed also. Bad driving habits are bad habits and need to be changed.....

 

Hell, even my Mustang II 2.3L and ninja 250 would go fast enough to get me a ticket when I was young. Although it'd take forever to do it. But still. Where there's a will there's a way.

That cop did you no favours.

 

Limiters/gps aren't the solution either.

Thats poor solution imho.

If he is like me or any of the petrolheads, he is going to push it anyway.

So talk with him that he does it only where it's safe and suitable, that he pays maximum attention to surroundings all the time while driving. Driver training could be another.. Understanding how many people he risks is great thing to learn.

Get an electric fiat, governed speed at 85mph, love it

Can you get him out on the track?

 

I drive a lot more respectfully on the street since becoming a track driver. It's where I have my "fun" and get it out of my system.

 

This is a tough problem. At his age they all think they are immortal and can't possibly understand the consequences of what can happen at high speeds. I don't know what you could do other than monitor, maybe hit him where it hurts (wallet, curfew if there is such a thing with a twenty something) or permission to do what he wants.

 

Good luck. Tough situation

I plan to cover most of the car expenses for my son some day. But we are going to have a deal that if he does dumb stuff, such as outlined above, he will start paying for things. Things like DUI will have his car sold before he wakes up the next day. Triple digit speeding on public roads may also have similar consequences.

 

Basically he will know the consequences before he chooses to take the risks.

Yes, a crap car might do 90, but it will not be fun, it will be terrifying. While a g37 will easily get up to 90 and stay there. Get him a crap car. He will thank you when he's older.

What do you mean by crap car?

 

Will it still be as safe as a "good" car?

Yes, i mean like a prius, Echo or Honda fit. Fully modern but not to fast.

 

To me it's a crappy boring car I wouldn't want to drive. But here that's the whole point of the car.

Or you could just keep him in a safe car, and educate him on what happens when you drive reckless. A discussion talking about how he can ruin his life, your life (if he causes an accident, they go after your assets), an innocent victims life. If he's into "speed" then channel that into a track day with him. Bond over that shit. Also make him pay for insurance and throw in an insurance tracker.

Driver training, track days, talk to him, it's not easy, we've all been there, sometimes I wonder how I've made it through my teenage crazy years.

Driver training, track days, talk to him, it's not easy, we've all been there, sometimes I wonder how I've made it through my teenage crazy years.

 

I totally agree, I wonder how we survived. But the world was a much different place back then, and not everything was recorded or documented or put up on YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, periscope… Etc.

Putting a limiter on the car doesn't teach safe driving, it just pisses them off. It's like training a dog, if you don't train the dog properly, the minute he is off the leash, he's gone. What several have already mentioned are fantastic ideas.

Having some sort of buying in on the vehicle is the first thing. Both of my boys had the same deal, where they could pick out any car they wanted, but they had to pay for 50% of it themselves. They also had to pay for all their insurance, fuel and maintenance. If you get speeding tickets or traffic violations, insurance gets very expensive quickly and that's a lesson in itself. I have a lot of friends who pay for everything for their kids, and I quickly learned that anything a person gets for free, they don't put any value on. It doesn't matter if they're going to school, they can get a part-time job to pay for their insurance and expenses. Going to college is no excuse. Sending him to the track and teaching great driving skills and will let him get it out of his system in a safe environment. Both of my boys went to Mid Ohio-three day racing school. You change your whole outlook on driving. It won't necessarily stop speeding tickets, but it does educate them as to the things that can happen. Right now your job is to teach not control. Control will only make them rebel Just be a better teacher.

Thanks everyone.......great advise. There are deeper issues involved besides the need for speed. We want to give our kids all the advantages we didn't have but when is it too much? We have some issues that we will need professional help with.....thanks for all the input.

The need for speed, you cant cut that out from a hetero man. If it's in the genes then it is.

While I rooted for talking and training, if you chooce to have a lower powered car for him, nobody is going to fault you.

I agree with making him bear financial responsibility (hit him in wallet - where it'll get his attn). And if he gets a ticket he may not be able to afford to drive if he is bearing the cost- and THAT is something he'll understand.

 

Best of luck !

Different world... Nobody bought me or my friends a car when I was a teenager. When you work your nuts off to buy an old beater and pay the insurance the last thing you want is a ticket. My dad also used to kick my ass when I did dumb stuff....again different generation but it worked

When I got a speeding ticket my car was taken away for the entire summer. That was my last ticket!

Imho it's better to get caught from speeding than selling drugs or DUI or Violence something else stupid... Just to put it in perspective.

That cop did you no favours.

 

Limiters/gps aren't the solution either.

Different world... Nobody bought me or my friends a car when I was a teenager. When you work your nuts off to buy an old beater and pay the insurance the last thing you want is a ticket. My dad also used to kick my ass when I did dumb stuff....again different generation but it worked

 

I don't know about that, first car I bought after years and years of saving and realizing what I thought was an impossible dream, a $500 beat up 4 cylinder tiny Ford, I was looking for wet patches of dirt so I can do hand brake turns and trash the hell out if it

 

When it's in your system it's in your system, those who say that a teenager like that will be more responsible when they are getting hit in their pocket must've been very good teenagers or forgot their teenage years

 

I think the best you can do is try to educate and reason with them followed by extensive prayers directed to whichever deity you believe in.

valet mode? some tuning kits like cobb have "valet" maps