Guest Blogger, Meghan Belnap
Without any doubt, texting while driving is dangerous. Distracted driving is a leading cause of auto accidents and texting is a dangerous distraction. Car accident attorneys in Toledo know all about the sticky problems texting while driving can cause on a person and their vehicle record going forth. Texting while driving is dangerous for anyone, but for teenagers who are dedicated to texting friends night and day under any circumstances, the danger is even higher. Fortunately, in our app-filled world, there are smartphone apps that can protect teenage drivers who want to text while driving in spite of the danger.
1. Textecution
Take a firm hand to teen’s texting while driving with this app. It locks the phone while the car is running. Parents can receive an alert if the app is disabled, such as in case of accident or if the car is parked. Parents are also told if the app is removed from the phone. The app can also be used to disable Internet access and email. For iPhone, Android, and Windows phone. This app is $29.99.
2. Sprint Drive First
Sprint Drive First is a free app with big benefits. This app prevents teenagers from texting while driving by blocking texts and email while a vehicle is traveling at more than 10 miles per hour. Even while texts and emails are blocked, GPS and music will continue to function. This prevents teens from getting distracted while the car is moving, and the app is free and offered by Sprint.
3. Drivesafe.ly Pro
This app allows someone to operate their cell phone in hands-free mode. With Drivesafe.ly Pro, a teenager can send and receive texts, as well as email, using just their voice. Even if this may still distract a teen driver to an extent, it is still far safer than having the teen use his or her hands for texting. The app is available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry at a cost of $13.95 per year or $3.99 per month.
4. Drivescribe
Drivescribe is like having a driving coach traveling with your teenager. This app watches over your teen’s driving and issues awards for safe driving, and points at the end of the trip. Teens who save the points can trade them in at Amazon and for gift cards. Best of all, this award winning app is free. The app is also available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.
These are not the only apps designed for this purpose. Go to Google and search for “apps to stop teen texting while driving.” There are quite a few apps to fit the purpose, but these apps are proven effective and you can count on them. There is no need for a teenager to text while driving, even if they would insist that there is. Driving is dangerous enough all by itself even without texting. The texting-while-driving habit in teens can be broken and these apps can help to do that.
