Seth Godin envisions a car for teenagers: [emphasis mine]
So, what does a parent want?
Low powered
Cheap
Great gas mileage (more cheap)
Funky looking
Allows easy attachment/customization of side panels
Not embarrassing!
Requires breathalyzer test to start
Easy to set, hard to hack speed limiter
Constant GPS reporting via wimax or cellphone, allowing the owner of the car to see where it is
Constant speed reporting via wimax or cellphone, with easy to set alerts by cell phone
Location lock out, making it easy for the owner to set the range of the vehicle or the roads traveled
All this technology is easy to sync by computer or phone
Lots of airbags
ID card key making it easy to charge the driver per use, treat different drivers differently, including usage time.
I'm fairly sure from this list that Seth does not have teenage children (and may not have ever actually been a teenager).
I do have teenage children - two sons 17 and 19 - and I worry about them. But I also trust them, because it seems that we've raised them fairly well. We demonstrate our trust in them and the return the favor by bringing their friends home to meet us, and discussing a lot of things with us.
Seth seems to work from the opposite point of view - eliminate any possibility of them doing anything, thereby taking away their ability to earn trust. This seems to be the mantra of parents today who ruthlessly schedule the children's lives, and try to protect them from any possible harm.
I appreciate the fact that my parents let me make my own mistakes. I earned their trust. I feel that I owe it to my kids to give them the same opportunity, otherwise we're going to end up in a pretty cynical world. Sure they'll make mistakes, but that is after all how you learn.
Seth, how would you really have felt if at 17 your parents did that to you?