Belgium: Spy-in-the-car watches young drivers' speed

The device is for parents who would rather get a warning than a speeding ticket

Parents anxious about their grown-up children's driving can now buy a handy new gadget to keep them informed, it's been reported.

Belgium-based technology firm Dongle Apps has developed a gadget which notifies parents instantly by email or text when their offspring are driving too fast, Flanders News.be website reports. The "Rookie dongle" plugs into the car's on-board diagnostics port normally used by garage technicians to identify problems and malfunctions in modern cars, and uses GPS and cell phone technology to send real-time information to the internet. The device works by registering the time, location and speed of the driver and comparing it to the current speed limit, sending a tell-tale text message or email when it thinks the car's owners needs to be alerted, De Standaard newspaper reports.

Belgium's Traffic Safety Institute has welcomed the new device, saying it's a handy gadget for parents concerned about how well their kids are sticking to speed limits. An added bonus is that the device is also able to generate reports allowing vehicle owners to negotiate a better car insurance policies, provided that their children haven't broken any traffic rules, De Standaard newspaper reports. For youngsters who think the spy-in-the-car is a little bit too intrusive, Metro Belgium says there's a private mode where information is only shown to parents when speeding is recorded.

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