Back-to-School Safety: There's an App for That

Did you know that 22 percent of car accidents in 2009 were attributed to cell phone use? Let's face it, drivers: It's time to hang up, stop texting and focus on the road.

And now you can force your teenage driver to do just that with the help of these handy new apps. Just in time for back-to-school driving, here's a run-down of the top "don't text and drive" tools for your smartphone and car:

• StopTxting, a free app for Android, uses your phone's built-in GPS sensor to prevent users from texting, emailing or web browsing when traveling over 10 miles per hour.
• Key2SafeDriving uses an app and a small device that prevents a cell phone from being used altogether once the ignition is turned. The downside? It costs about $100.
• CellControl also uses a combination of hardware and an app to prevent cell phone use when the car is moving.

In each case, missed calls are sent to voicemail and texts are stored in the phone's inbox (so your teen can respond to them during class, of course).

While these may not be the perfect solution, they certainly outdo some previous apps, such as Don't Text Me (which uses up other people's text messages) and ShoutOut, a speech-to-text tool that still enabled people to text. After all, distracted driving is dangerous, even if your teen's hands are still on the wheel.