Distracted driving is one of the biggest problems on the road. Many teens tend to get distracted while behind the wheel because of their smartphone ringing or alerting them they’ve received a text message.
If you’re a parent of a young driver, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep him or her safe. Here are a few apps you’ll want to investigate that can help keep your teen safe while driving.
Textecution
This app is available for Android smartphones. It works by killing the functions of a smartphone allowing teens to fully focus on driving. There is a built-in feature that will tell you in a text message if your teen driver removes the app. In the event that happens, you can notify Textecution and it will automatically re-download the app onto your teen’s phone.
DriveSafe.ly
This app is available for Android and BlackBerry as a way to stop distracted driving. It reads text messages and emails aloud so your teen can hear them as they come. It includes an optional auto-responder that can be customized and is easy to use.
Time to Drive
The Time to Drive app is available exclusively for iPhones. It’s designed 
based on research specifically for parents of teens. It records the amount of time your teen spends driving and the conditions of the roads, tracks hard stops, shows a map of your teen’s past trips, encourages parents and teens to meet driving goals and provides tips for parents. In general, the purpose of the app is to monitor your teen while he or she is newly driving so you or another seasoned adult driver can supervise them during their most critical times behind the wheel as they get the practice they need.
Safecell
This app is available for iPhone and Android. It works by tracking the position of your teen’s vehicle and warning of the danger and illegal activity of picking up his or her smartphone if a call or text comes through. The app also records the teen driver’s behavior so it can be reviewed later.
TXT Shield
TXT Shield is an app that can also keep your teen safe behind the wheel. When a text message comes to your child’s phone, the app will send an automated response that says something like, “I’m driving now, can’t talk” so the message can be answered. It is easy to use and to set up and can even record the speed your teen is traveling while driving. It is available for Android and iPhone.
While some people see these apps as an intense way of constantly watching your children, this step is often necessary when you have a teen driver. It might seem excessive to track everywhere your teen goes, but it is most important to know your teen is driving safely, and not texting or using the phone on the road.
By downloading apps designed to discourage in-car phone use, you can help your teen stay safe on the road, and hopefully lower the alarming statistics. The information for this article was provided by a personal injury lawyer in Surrey at Yearwood & Company, who specializes in car accident cases.
