DriveCam is a video feedback program that enables you to stay connected with your teen’s driving in a positive way. A two-way camera in the car records only a few seconds of what the driver is seeing, hearing and doing if it senses risky driving. It puts you virtually back into the instructor’s seat, but only for those precious seconds when you wish you had been there to capture and use that teachable moment.
How It Works
Getting started is easy. Complete the online purchase and a DriveCam vehicle kit will be delivered to your door. Use the voucher we email to you for prepaid, professional installation at your closest Best Buy store, and the system is immediately active with a year of prepaid service.
The short video clips include interior and exterior views of the critical seconds BEFORE and AFTER the erratic vehicle movement so you and your teen learn WHAT happened and WHY it happened.
When you go for a test drive with your teen, you’ll quickly see it takes fairly aggressive or inattentive driving to trigger the device. Set the expectation for your teen to NOT trigger the camera. They’ll quickly learn to “keep it green” by not speeding, paying attention and scanning for hazards.
Your spouse and teen can have their own secure logins if you choose, and also receive the email we send out each week with your teen’s latest driving risk score. It’s like online school report cards – only better, because you can watch how your teen deals with real-world tests of their driving.
Benefits
Parents who review videos with their teen, share the coaching tips from DriveCam and reinforce expectations find that the program requires very little effort, yet yields tremendous results. Teens are soon coaching and correcting themselves.
Have you noticed that most teens appear to listen to others more than their parents? DriveCam’s objective, third-party feedback makes it simpler to be a parent by providing a fact-based comparison of your teen’s driving risk to what it could be, along with suggestions on how to drive more safely. With DriveCam, you can be less of a judge that’s “ruining their life” and more of the coach that’s saving their life.
Driving discussions with your teen become fact-based coaching instead of emotion-based arguments. The report card compares your teen’s driving with the average from their peer group – the most effective coaching and mentoring environment for novice drivers ever created.
Inexperience and over-confidence of teens combine to make driving the leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 19 – more than drugs, cancer, guns, and suicide – combined. Give your young adult driver the best chance to stay crash-free during those first months by enrolling in DriveCam for Families. And give yourself the cost savings, harmony and peace of mind that thousands of satisfied families have already enjoyed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much does the program cost?
A. The camera is $495, installation is $50 and the monthly service fee is $30 when purchased in a startup package with one year of service. After the first year, continued service is $30/month. The cost is comparable to a cell phone or a sports club team fee, but can potentially save you thousands of dollars and heartache by preventing an expensive crash.
Q. Who do I contact for support once I’m enrolled?
A. Customer support is available 24/7 by calling 1.866.614.3149 or email to familysupport@drivecam.com
Q. Have teens been receptive to video feedback programs?
A. Most teens don’t think they need additional feedback and fear this may invade their privacy. Once in the program, however, they realize that triggering the camera is under their control and only a few seconds of video are sent back anyway. Most teens surveyed after completing the program recommend it to others, and admit they learned more than they expected. Many even like it because their parents use the opportunity to reward good driving habits with increased freedom.
Q. Is this a GPS monitoring device that enables parents to track their teens’ whereabouts?
A. No, it does not enable parents to always know where the car is (but you can often tell where they were – and with whom – by watching the video that they’ve triggered). This is not an “ankle bracelet” the teen can’t remove. It is a program that integrates with a teen’s natural transition to greater independence. Allowing parents to “tap into the camera” any time would defeat this purpose.
Q. Who owns the video and who has access to it?
A. Just like video captured by a personal video camera owned by a family, DriveCam videos are confidential and controlled by the family. We’re very careful to provide for convenient collection and web-based viewing of the family’s videos. We make them available for 90 days on the website and retain them for an additional 90 days on a secure server should the family request a copy.
Q. Will families participating in DriveCam for Families get a discount on their teen’s insurance?
A. They should, because the insurance company’s claims costs will probably be a lot lower because of it. American Family Insurance was the first company to provide the program for free and discounts for participating may be available in certain states. For more information on their Teen Safe Driver Program, go to www.teensafedriver.com. If you’re not with American Family, you’ll still enjoy the substantial cost savings from safer driving.
Q. Where is DriveCam for Families available?
A. It is only available in the continental U.S. and Hawaii (where the Sprint cellular network enables convenient, automatic video upload).