Teens are some of the most at-risk drivers on the road. Their lack of experience and questionable judgment makes them easy targets for traffic accidents. Statistically, a 2007 study showed that the leading cause of death for 13-19 year old males and females in the United States were auto accidents. Therefore it is understandable that vehicle safety would be on the minds of many parents. In reaction to this, an app was created that would allow parents to keep an eye on their child’s driving. Problems start to arise, though, when you find out just how the app works. The teen gets a personalized bumper sticker on their car so that other drivers can report unsafe driving maneuvers to their parents. The issue with this is obvious—in order to report the errant teen, the other driver would have to text and drive (or at the very least, jot down the info for later as they drive.) This would compound an already dangerous situation further. Texting and driving is incredibly risky, as is anything else that takes your eyes off the road. The best way to prevent an accident from happening to your child is to have a frank conversation with them about the danger that driving poses and that putting down their phone while behind the wheel might just save their life, or the life of someone else.

Here is a video of an alternate application that could help prevent texting and driving: