Chevy's "Teen Driver" System Hopes To Make Teen Driving Safer

Chevy has new technology it's hoping will make your teen's first foray onto America's roads safer than it has been with their new Teen Driver safety system. Our Tech Ninja, Tshaka Armstrong has an early look at the system with Chevy spokesman Shad Balch. The new system will be baked into the 2016 Malibu and offer, for the first time, data on teens' driving habits, in the form of a digital report card. Right from the dash, parent and teen can look at the report card and discuss safe driving habits as they view the teen's over speed warnings or how many times the forward collision detection warnings were triggered.

Teen Driver is not a subscription-based service, so it remains with the vehicle permanently and will be standard on the Premier trim and optional on LT models if equipped with the Convenience Package and up-level radio. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16- to 19-year-olds is nearly three times the rate for drivers ages 20 and over. "We developed this system so parents could use it as a teaching tool with their kids - they can discuss and reinforce safe driving habits," said General Motors safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe. "As a mother of two, I know anything that has the potential of keeping one's family safer is of great value to parents."