Teens tend to drive safer when in the car with a parent; that's exactly the idea behind American Family's Teen Safe driving program. Except, instead of mom and dad being in the passenger's seat, it's a camera.

Following the deaths of their four friends in an accident in January, some Springfield teenagers pleaded with other young drivers to not make the same mistake. Police say James Gangwes, 18, was speeding when he lost control and hit a tree on a county road just east of Springfield.

“Slow down, take your time. No one is in a hurry. Be smart,” said one friend.

After her own son had a serious accident of his own, his second in less than a year, Kit Stokes decided talking isn't always enough.

“We all drive differently when mom is sitting in the seat next to us,” said Stokes.

She found a way to always be in he car with him -- sort of.

Using a motion detector, a camera records risky driving behavior. From sharp turns to quick acceleration and braking, the camera only stores 10 seconds of footage -- just enough for parents to find out what went wrong.

Each incident is posted online with tips from professionals who view the video.

“I guess you could say I took risks,” said Ryan Stokes, Kit Stokes’ son.

But not anymore. Since the camera was installed, Ryan says he's less aggressive, pays more attention and no longer speeds.

“If it says 25, I'm normally doing 25 now,” he said.

To give parents an idea of how it works, we installed a camera in a KY3 News car. We found out what type of maneuvers set it off

One is accelerating too quickly. Another is distracted driving, like interacting with a passenger or talking on a cell phone. Slamming on the brakes also triggers it, as does not wearing a seatbelt or fiddling with the radio and accelerating quickly.

“Just being in car and seeing it watching you, you watch what you're doing a lot more,” said Ryan.

Kit Stokes doesn't need our test to know the camera is doing its job. Ryan has stayed well below the national average for risky driving maneuvers and admits the camera isn't just for his benefit, but also her own.

“I am not strong enough parent to bury my child. I can't do it,” she said.

Since its introduction late last year, those with Teen Safe Driver say risky driving behavior has gone down 70-percent among teens who have the camera installed in their cars. More remarkably, seatbelt use has increased to 100-percent.

Only American Family customers can get the camera. For more information, call an agent.