An article from MSNBC here reports that 40% of drivers admit that they use their cell phones when they drive each week, and anyone who has watched a teenager text with a cell phone must suspect that teens engage in the highly dangerous act of texting while driving even more often.  Teenage drivers are already inexperienced behind the wheel, so it creates a great deal of discomfort to know that teens are often texting while driving.

New apps for cell phones may eliminate the likelihood of teenagers driving while texting.  Some phone apps, for example, disable a phone’s functions when a GPS indicates that the cell phone is traveling above a certain speed.  Other text-stopping technology includes hardware that connects to the emergency brake or the on board diagnostics module and, once the car starts moving, the module disables the cell phone.  In addition to providing education regarding the dangers of distracted driving, parents of teenage drivers should consider using apps or hardware that will prevent their young drivers from texting and driving.

Bob Byrne, the author of this post, serves as the managing attorney of MartinWren, P.C. and practices in the firm’s Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers group, the Virginia Automobile Accident Attorneys group, and the Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys group.  To contact Bob, please call him, toll free, at 855-812-9220 or send him an email at byrne@martinwrenlaw.com.