3 Apps to Minimize Texting When Driving
Amy Barseghian
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Safety apps for all ages of car lovers.
Our son is almost eleven and has developed a deep love for high-end cars. As I watch his auto enjoyment increase, I can’t help but panic a bit when I think about him driving someday. My main concern is the distraction that smartphones cause when behind the wheel. Fortunately there are apps that we can use to help keep our teen drivers safe and reduce the risk of an accident.
3 apps to minimize driving distractions
We’ve come a long way over the past decade in car technology. Consider these 3 apps: DriveOFF, Drive Scribe and WiseDrive, a few of the best safety technology available to minimize driving distractions.
- The DriveOFF app minimizes distractions and displays a screensaver once the driver hits 10 mph. All notifications are silenced to keep drivers focused on the road. While you do get to choose your boring screensaver, some say the app is a bit hard to turn off when you are riding as a passenger.
The Drive Off App helps to minimize texting when driving.
- Drive Scribe App functions in much of the same way but adds a nice feature where it automatically sends a text response to either an incoming call or text message letting them know you are driving. The bonus? It tracks driving behaviors and offers some tips for the driver and even rewards good driving behavior with points that are redeemable for gift cards. I think most teens would be hard pressed to turn that down.
The Drive Scribe app includes many of the DriveOFF features, and automatically sends a text response to either a call or text message letting them know you are driving
- WiseDrive is another app to consider to minimize distracted driving; this app has an easy to use interface and like the others automatically blocks notifications using GPS. You can also set it to block notifications for a specific amount of time and auto-reply messages are sent with WiseDrive as well.
WiseDrive app’s easy to use interface keeps it at the forefront.
It takes more than a good app
As parents we have to remember that teen drivers are still children. It is completely acceptable to teach them that we need to keep them safe when they may be of an age where sound judgment is not natural.
With a responsible driving contract in place, it is also easier to enforce consequences when they do not follow our rules or perhaps choose to delete the chosen installed app to keep them safe when behind the wheel. I know for certain we will have one for both of our children, especially given the high number of drivers on the road here in Orange County.
Remember that a good app can only go so far so be sure your teen has had the amount of practice time he needs behind the wheel before he gets his license. This number can differ for children so get your child partnered with the best driving school to ensure she gets the practice she needs.
If you are in Orange County, Varsity Driving Academy has two locations and offers everything to help drivers of any age.
Safe driving is more than apps. In California’s Orange County, Varsity Driving Academy has two locations and offers everything to help drivers of all ages.
I think the time has come where we simply have to accept that everyone, including teens, is going to be tempted to text or check his phone while driving. Clearly modeling good behaviors as parents helps but it only goes so far. By using apps that promote safe choices, you can rest a bit easier with your teen behind the wheel.