When it comes to teenage driving, parents in Louisiana often worry about the safety of their adolescent children, but when cell phones are thrown in the mix, the level of worry can increase. The combination of teen driving and distracted driving can lead to car accidents and some parents are using new technology to prevent that combo and help keep their teenage children focused on the task of driving.

Parents in Louisiana and elsewhere are well aware that teenagers are dependent on cell phones and communicate heavily through text and social media. More than one third of teens use cellphones to communicate over social media and almost half use cellphones to access the internet. That is why some parents are using applications that limit the ability of teen drivers to use cellphones while behind the wheel. The applications prevent teen drivers from using their phones when the vehicle is in motion.

One parent who purchased preventative applications for his adult daughter and teenage son said it gives him, "peace of mind." The father said, "They live so much on the phone and they do so much of their communication using texting . . . it's really reassuring to know that they're not [texting while driving]."

A range of applications exist that use on-phone GPS or in-vehicle Bluetooth to determine when a vehicle moves. Separate devices that connect with in-vehicle communication and information ports are also available. Advocates of the preventative technology believe the technology can be used to erase distracted driving behavior. Of course, whether the technology ultimately helps reduce distracted driving depends on the users.

Source: USA Today, "Technology tackles teen drivers' phone distractions," Larry Copeland, Jan. 17, 2012