Your kid passed the driving test, grabbed the car keys and drove off alone for the first time. Few moments mix so much pride with a knot in your stomach. It’s natural to want to know everything is fine. The question is how to do it in a way that helps the new driver drive better, rather than making them feel watched.
This guide covers what changes in the first year of driving, what’s really worth following and how to use technology in favor of conversation.
What changes in the first year
Many countries give new drivers a probationary or graduated license. In Brazil, for example, anyone who passes the test first receives a Permission to Drive, valid for one year (Brazilian Traffic Code, art. 148). The permanent license is only granted at the end of that period if the driver hasn’t committed any serious or very serious violation, nor repeated a medium one. Other countries restrict night driving, passengers or blood alcohol during the first years.
In practice, the first year is a real trial period. A single serious speeding ticket, for example, can force a new driver to start the licensing process all over again. That’s a great argument for an honest conversation: following their driving during this period protects the driver themselves.
Talk before you follow
Technology works much better when everyone knows what’s being followed. Before setting anything up:
- Explain the goal. “We want to help you get through your first year without problems”, not “we want to know everything you do”.
- Show what will be seen. Location, trips, speed and driving events. No messages or social media.
- Agree on a time frame. For example, closer follow-up for the first six months, then only the essentials.
- Agree on how the data will be used. To talk and improve, not to punish every hard brake.
What’s worth following
Not all data matters equally. The behaviors that weigh most on the safety of a new driver are:
Speed
Speeding is the driver’s choice, not a consequence of traffic. Following speed peaks helps spot stretches where the new driver “lets loose”.
Phone use while driving
Looking at the phone while the car is moving is one of the most dangerous habits, and one of the easiest to pick up. Seeing it in numbers usually works better than any lecture.
Harsh braking and acceleration
Frequent harsh braking usually signals following too closely or scattered attention. Harsh acceleration signals hurry.
Times of day
Driving late at night, tired, after parties: it’s worth agreeing on times and following whether the agreement is kept.
How the driving report helps
On LeMoove, the driving report comes from the driver’s phone, without needing a tracker in the car. It brings together the day’s or week’s car trips and shows:
- A score from 0 to 100, calculated from driving events.
- Speeding, harsh acceleration, harsh braking, harsh cornering and phone use while the car is moving.
- Distance, average and top speed for each period.
Two details keep the score fair:
- Events become a rate per 100 km. That way, someone who drives more isn’t penalized just for driving more.
- Phone use and speeding weigh more than a sharp turn, because they’re choices, not a consequence of traffic.
The score, driving events and weekly view are part of the Complete plan. Trips, distance and speed are shown on every plan.
Alerts that make sense (and ones that don’t)
Alerts help when they’re few and well chosen:
- Speeding: choose a limit that fits the roads the driver uses. On LeMoove, the limit goes from 30 to 200 km/h; the suggested value is 110 km/h.
- Trip end: an alert that they arrived, with distance and duration, is usually enough for peace of mind.
- Quiet hours: so you’re not woken up in the middle of the night by an unimportant alert.
Avoid turning on every alert at once. Too many alerts create anxiety for whoever receives them and a feeling of surveillance for whoever drives.
Use the data to talk, not to punish
How you bring the data into the conversation decides whether following works:
- Start with what’s going well. “Your score went up this week” opens space to talk about what needs to improve.
- Ask before concluding. A harsh brake may have been a motorcyclist cutting in.
- Look at trends, not isolated events. One bad week doesn’t define anyone.
- Set goals together. For example, zero phone use while moving within a month.
When to give more autonomy
The goal of following is to stop being necessary. When the new driver keeps consistent driving for a few weeks, it’s time to scale back: fewer alerts, fewer conversations about numbers, more trust. Recognizing progress matters as much as pointing out problems.
If the car also has a tracker
The driving report follows whoever is driving. If you also want to know where the car is even when nobody in the family is in it, a GPS tracker adds position, ignition and trips. See the full setup on the vehicles page.
Practice together in the first weeks
Driving school teaches the basics, but many situations only come up day to day. In the first weeks, it’s worth having an experienced adult ride along in the passenger seat in situations the new driver hasn’t faced alone yet:
- New routes, especially with lane changes and tricky turns.
- Rain, when braking distance grows and visibility drops.
- Night driving, with glare and fewer visual references.
- Highways, with higher speeds, overtaking and heavy vehicles.
- Busy parking lots and tight garages, where many small accidents happen.
After each drive, a short conversation helps more than corrections while driving: what went well, what was hard, what to practice next time.
Signs that call for an immediate conversation
Some situations shouldn’t wait for the weekly chat:
- Speed peaks far above the limit, especially on city streets.
- Frequent phone use while the car is moving.
- Late-night drives outside what was agreed.
- A string of harsh brakes on the same trip, which can signal fatigue, distraction or hurry.
Even then, start by asking what happened. A driver who feels accused learns to hide; a driver who feels heard learns to correct.
Frequently asked questions
Can the new driver see their own data?
They can and should. On LeMoove, everyone sees their own driving report. When drivers follow their own score, improvement usually comes without any pressure.
Does the report tell the driver apart from a passenger?
The report comes from each person’s phone, and a passenger’s phone also records the car trip. So evaluate driving using the report of whoever was behind the wheel on that trip.
How long should we follow more closely?
There’s no set time. A good rule of thumb is the first year, which is often the probationary period, scaling back gradually as driving proves consistent.
In short
The first year of driving is a trial period, and following along can help the new driver get through it without problems. Talk first, follow what really matters (speed, phone use, braking and times of day), pick a few alerts and use the numbers to talk, not to punish. Over time, trust replaces following, and that’s the best possible outcome.
