Need to Track a Teen Driver? There's a Way, Says AAA

The Auto Club is scheduled to demonstrate a new device that parents are going to love and teen drivers are bound to hate.

AAA Onboard, set to be shown Thursday, will use wireless communications between a vehicle and a password-protected online portal to pinpoint the car's location for parents of young drivers.

Parents can also program the device with a maximum speed, geographic boundaries and curfews, according to AAA. If the parameters are broken, theywill receive an email or text message.

The program is free to parents and teens who use the firm's insurance. The device will not be available for purchase by people insured elsewhere.

The device, about the size of a printer cartridge, plugs into a port just below and to the left of the steering column, and can transmit information
on the vehicle's location. 

“This enables the parents and their teens to sit down and have some
conversations about driving based on tangible information from AAA onboard in
the car,” said Elaine Beno of AAA. 
   
Ford has had a similar device standard on some models. One called CarChip also monitors driving and can be purchased on Amazon.com beginning at $72.

According to the latest information from the California Highway Patrol, 264 drivers and passengers ages 15-19 were killed in crashes across the state in 2009.

Another 26,116 were injured.