Is a Camera in a Teen's Car Helpful or Distracting?

It's a new pilot program that allows cameras to be
placed inside a teen's car just below the rear view
mirror. The extra eyes let teens actually "see their
mistakes" when driving and captures events
happening before and after a car crash occurs. Once
the camera captures the "event", it emails it to the
parents to review with their teen driver.

University of Iowa researcher Dan McGeehee states
the videos provide a reality check to over-confident
beginning drivers.

"This really shines a spotlight on their own driving and
they can see themselves that they made some
mistakes," McGeehee says.

McGeehee took 25 drivers who fell into two groups,
those who drove "well" and rarely triggered the
cameras (about three times for every thousand miles
driven) and those who triggered it a lot (nearly 19
times for every thousand miles they drove). After
seeing themselves, the riskier drivers improved by
90%.

Teens in Minnesota are the first to test the program,
although American Family Insurance is ready to get on
board. It hopes to take the program to a national
level.

DrivingMBA wants to know if you think having a
camera in your teen's car will help them become
better drivers or become a distraction to them. Some parents may feel that these cameras provide just enough driver training for their teens. What do you think?