Birthday gift

IMO none at all, as a new 16th year old driver the less distractions she has the better.

If she was my daughter there would be no cell phone on while driving, no GPS and no Ipod, multitasking is not something a new driver needs. But that is just me...

2 thumbs up!

Make that three thumbs up.

The last thing a teenage driver needs is another distraction while driving. Their focus should be on the task at hand, which is learning to drive.

I agree the 360 would be good but I may rethink getting one after seeing the other comments.

No GPS. I agree with the others on this one. Driving requires their full attention.

Kudos to you for considering our suggestion of NO GPS, god forbid something bad happen that could be blame on the GPSr and you could never live with your conscience.

Now let me give you a suggestion for a new teenager female driver, an annual subscription to AAA; this is what I gave my daughter every year while she lived with us, knowing that if she had any malfunction while out on the road she could call for help and remain in her locked car until help arrived.

I would hope you would rethink that, and also take her cell phone away from her while she is driving at that age, even with the blue tooth, Cell phone operation while driving is like being drunk a driver. I am sure glade we didn't have all this to deal with with our children when they were growing up.
Ask your wife what she wanted when she was sixteen, and get here that, or what you got your own child. Life is to complex, don't make it even worse, get her a map for the glove box for now.

You May even want to check your state law and see if it's legal, a lot of states are clamping down on teen drivers, as the states should, since the do gooders have taken that ability away from the parents to do so.

Here is Ohio's teen driving law:
http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/driver_license/new_gdl_info.htm

Bob

She needs to learn how to be aware of her surroundings before blindly relying on a GPS system.

Q "Why did you turn onto the railroad tracks?"

A "The GPS told me to."

That is an excellent observation, without knowing his niece and her ability to have good judgment it is a mistake that a new driver could easily make, we seasoned drivers know better and still turn into the RR tracks.

I absolutely concur. After seeing one of my kid's friends total 3 cars the less distractions the better.

You all convinced me to rethink the gift - no GPS for now - kinda like the AAA idea. Thanks again for all your comments!

Wise choice my friend. Let her learn and gain experience, then slowly start adding the distractions. Glad you thought it through.

What a great thought.. so true. I also was thinking of giving my son a gps for xzmas but maybe I will just wait, they do need to know the way iat least in the Neghberhood. Also to know how to drive without anyone telling them how to get somewaher. Wise choice.. I am also going to wait maybe get him some floormats instead.. for the snow..

thanks for the advice!

I will support the thought of withholding the GPS and letting her learn to drive first. There are a lot of distractions out there and our children are too precious to just let go with them all and end op killing themselves or someone else because of a lack of experience. Just get the AAA and she should be fine!!