New 'Vehicle Management' Technology Holds Promise to Reduce Teen Driving Fatalities |
Atlanta-based rollout of revolutionary GPS technology is met with high
hopes from parents, politicians, law enforcement and traffic safety
officials
ATLANTA, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The advent of a
revolutionary new vehicle-management device allows parents to monitor and
alter teen driving behavior -- all from a cell phone or computer. The
high-tech Georgia-based developer and manufacturer of the AutoSearchGPS
device, EarthSearch Communications, Inc., has announced the rollout of a
pilot program with Mazda USA, the maker of popular models such as the Miata
and the Tribute SUV. The vehicle-management device -- currently offered as
an option to Mazda vehicles at select Atlanta dealerships -- is the latest
weapon to be deployed in the increasingly desperate battle to reduce the
nationwide epidemic of teen driving fatalities.
Despite stringent state legislation and driver education programs, car
crashes remain the leading cause of teen deaths (16- to 20-year-olds) in
the United States. Traffic safety sources report more than 3,400 teen
driver fatalities every year, 275 last year in Georgia alone. The thought
of losing a child to a car accident is every parent's worst nightmare -- it
is impossible to ignore the staggering statistics. Sixteen-year-olds are
three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of
all drivers.
"This technology offers parents a variety of protective measures to
minimize the deadly risks associated with teen driving," said Kayode
Aladesuyi, CEO of EarthSearch Communications, Inc. (ESC). "Since speed is
the determining factor in many teen driving accidents and fatalities, many
parents choose to put a speed restriction on their children's driving
behavior." Parents are alerted via phone if their child exceeds a
pre-determined speed or strays beyond a certain perimeter, he added. The
parent also has the option of remotely disabling the vehicle from their
cell phone as soon as the driver turns off the ignition.
EarthSearch recently partnered with RoadWise, a national driver
education group dedicated to reducing teen driving deaths, and WBS Radio
B98.5 FM in a community-based effort to educate parents on what they can do
to protect their children on the road. "This is a rare piece of technology
that truly makes the world a safer place -- particularly for our children,"
said Tamela Danzey, vice president, RoadWise America, a technology-based
driver education company in Duluth, Georgia. For detailed parental
information, visit: http://www.earthsearch.us/products.php?section=people_search.
Georgia officials have tried a variety of strategies to curb teen
driving fatalities, including laws, like the Teenage and Adult Driver
Responsibility Act (TADRA), that restrict the hours during which teens can
legally drive. Experts have given such efforts mixed reviews in regard to
effectiveness. Despite these efforts, teen driving deaths continue to be a
major safety concern across the country.
Driver safety expert and former head of the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), Dr. Jeffrey Runge, has referred to teen
driving fatalities as an epidemic. "We're talking 1,400 injuries a day, 15
deaths a day," Runge said. "It's not only the personal cost. There's a huge
economic cost. Every brain injury, we believe, costs society about a
million dollars."
The NHTSA estimates the economic impact of auto accidents involving 15-
to 20-year-old drivers is over $40 billion. By all accounts, teen driving
deaths will continue to be a serious problem as the youth population
surges. Based on current population trends, there will be 23 percent more
16- to 20-year-old drivers on the road in 2010 than the 26 million there
are today.
The device, AutoSearchGPS Vehicle Management system, is currently
available as an add-on option in Mazda products at five Atlanta-metro
dealerships: Rick Case Mazda, Sutherlin Mazda, Jim Ellis Mazda of Atlanta,
Jim Ellis Mazda of Marietta and Mazda of Roswell. For more information on
dealership locations, visit
http://www.earthsearch.us/products.php?section=Autodealer. The vehicle-management
device has the following state-of-the-art capabilities from an application
on a cell phone or computer:
-- Movement Sensor -- receive an alert if there is unauthorized movement
of the vehicle;
-- Locate/Track -- ability to locate and track your vehicle in real time
or with the assistance of EarthSearch customer support;
-- Disable/Enable engine remotely for enhanced security ("disable
function" can only be executed when engine is disengaged); and
-- Alerts -- receive various alerts: silent alarm, movement, speed,
battery disconnect, geo-fence.
For more information visit,
http://www.earthsearch.us/products.php?section=auto_search.
This high-tech weapon in the emotional nationwide fight to protect teen
drivers and passengers has been a long time coming for the manufacturer,
EarthSearch Communications, which began work on the tracking device in
2004. "We are very proud of the product we've developed," Aladesuyi said.
"We believe our technology will dramatically reduce teen driving deaths.
Period." Although the initial product rollout is confined to the Atlanta
metro area, ESC plans to take the technology national in the coming months.
Kayode A. Aladesuyi, Chief Executive Officer, EarthSearch
Communications, Inc. Prior to founding EarthSearch Communications in 2003,
Aladesuyi launched PlanetLink Communications, Inc. in 1999. PlanetLink
engages in the development of satellite-enabled products based on GPS
technology and provision of monitoring services in the United States.
Aladesuyi began his career as an accountant and principal at Associated
Management and Financial Services, a tax and financial planning firm.
During that time he assisted several small and mid-size business owners in
starting and growing their operations in the metropolitan area of Atlanta,
Georgia. Aladesuyi is married with three children.
EarthSearch Communications, Inc. (ESC) was founded by Kayode Aladesuyi
in November 2003 -- after several years of research and development. The
high-tech company specializes in the development and delivery of GPS
technology and applications for location tracking, identification, security
and workforce management solutions. ESC is in the process of developing
devices to deliver mobile TV, Internet access, video on demand, navigation
and music for automobiles. For more information, visit http://www.earthsearch.us.
SOURCE EarthSearch Communications, Inc.
back to topRelated links:
CONTACT:
Peter Wendel, +1-202-380-5120,
pwendel@directdesigncommunications.com, for EarthSearch
Communications, Inc.
