When you have driven behind a semi-truck, you have probably seen the “How’s my Driving?” number that is tagged on the back. If you call this hotline, you can report poor driving. The number gives the drivers of these commercial vehicles and added measure of accountability. Would driving be safer all-around if everyone was held to this same standard? What if a person could call in to report your poor driving? Yet instead of calling 911, what if they could call your boss or another person in authority over you? For a lot of us, this would be a scary situation. For teens that tend to drive recklessly, that “what if” is a reality, thanks to a new app created by Michael McManigal. The app will allow drivers to offer feedback to the parents of teen drivers.

Essentially, the app will register a teenagers’ vehicle to a database and the company will send a bumper sticker similar to those on commercial vehicles. The bumper stickers say “How is my kid drivin.com PUSH TEXT to myTAG#.” With this bumper sticker in place, teens that are swerving or cutting others off may be in trouble from their parents when they get home. Any driver out on the road can whip out their phone and send a text message informing a parent of road rage, speeding, swerving, racing, distracted driving, or any other unsafe action. Parents believe that the app could add a measure of accountability that would reduce accidents and keep their kids safe. Yet the app adds another concern- it encourages people to text while on the road.

The Examiner confides that the app is ironic. People could text a report of texting to parents, hypocritically committing the offense that they are reporting. The National Safety Council says that texting while driving is one of the top causes of traffic accidents, and 1.6 million crashes are linked to this action every single year. Some observers approve of the purpose of the new app, but not the means it takes to report a bad driver. The National Highway Traffic Association says that texting while driving heightens the possibility of an accident to 8 times the average. Drivers are not normally responsible enough to pull over on the side of the road and finish their text, and instead assume that they can operate their vehicle while composing a message. Yet busying your mind and averting your eyes from the road can be fatal, especially at high speeds on busy streets. It only takes a matter of seconds for the traffic ahead to slam on their brakes or for an object to land in the road. A variety of things can lead to one of these accidents.

In Florida, teen drivers make up only 5 percent of the driving population, but are responsible for about 9 percent of all accidents. Most of the time, those accidents are due to texting while driving. Parents still think that the app is a good idea. One mom says that she is anxious to register her two daughters for the program, because she thinks it will protect them from road rage. Instead of being the victims of profanity and anger, her daughters will be spared when drivers text their frustrations to the parents. Teens are less thrilled about the measure, which could cost them a lot of privacy while driving. The U.S. Department of Transportation is trying to combat distracted driving at present, and is still weighing whether or not this app is helpful or harmful for society. Talk to a car accident attorney today if you were harmed in an accident and were not at fault. If you are equipped with an excellent attorney, you may be able to obtain damages for your injuries or receive compensation for your car expenses.