QCFF August 2016

New Tech Gives Parents of
Teen Drivers Peace of Mind
Steve Van Dinter
Public Relations Manager, Great Lakes
Market, Verizon
Back to school can be a scary time for parents
of teen drivers. There are more cars on the road, more
distractions and more chances for teens to sneak away
where you maybe don’t want them to go. But technology
has the answer and it’s as simple as a device that plugs
into your car’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port.
It’s called hum by Verizon and it consists of a
small unit that plugs into your vehicle’s OBD port, an
accompanying Bluetooth speaker, and an app that you
load onto your smartphone. The device takes seconds to
install and once in place, will show you where the vehicle
is in real-time, where it’s parked and also send you alerts
when it travels outside of a predetermined geographic
area or exceeds a speed limit that you set. And since it
uses Verizon’s network, it works anywhere there’s a
Verizon signal.
Worried your teen will breakdown on the side of
the road and not know what to do? Hum can help here as
well. With free pinpoint roadside assistance, just press a
button on the Bluetooth speaker and your teen is instantly
connected to free roadside assistance for things like tire
repair, fuel delivery and towing.
If you’ve ever felt like your mechanic is speaking
Greek to you, consider hum your international translator.
It can tell you how well your alternator is performing,
whether you’re having mechanical or electrical issues, and
even if you’re at risk of not passing an emissions test. The
information appears in an easy-to-read dashboard in your
hum app. If you see green next to the diagnostic, then you’re
good to go! And if you have any questions, just press your
roadside assistance button and you’ll be connected to the
Mechanics Hotline for a free and accurate assessment of
your vehicle.
Hum works in most cars made in 1996 or newer.
Normally it costs $29.99 for the device, with a $20 activation
fee and $10 a month subscription. But if you have a teen
driver you can get the device for free, with no activation fee
and your first three months included! More information is
available at www.hum.com.
18 August 2016 - QC Family Focus