Distracted driving is deadly – but there’s more and more technology that can help minimize it.
But it's technology itself – especially cell phones and texting – that's the major cause of distracted driving which causes thousands of fatalities each year in America.

In 2021, for instance, crashes killed nearly 43,000 people – a figure that’s up from 33,000 in 2012. In fact, the 2021 figure was a 16-year high, according to recent media reports. The reason? Technology-drive distracted driving.
In fact, sending or reading texts at 55 mph is just about the same as driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed, experts say.
And it’s illegal.
But people still do it.
Today, thankfully, there is technology – mainly safety features - built into luxury cars that help keep drivers safe and far from distracted driving.

And there’s an entire category of safe driving apps that were created to prevent absent-minded driving.
They all share a central premise: Make your phone inaccessible to you while you are driving.
It’s just that simple - and it can save your life.
Here’s a look at various safe driving apps from a list compiled by Farm Bureau Financial Services to help minimize distracted driving.
DriveMode

Once your automobile reaches 15 mph, this app silences alerts as well as phone calls and texts. It can also send out auto replies to people texting you that you are driving. Moreover, parents can sign up to receive alerts when this safe driving app is turned off or disabled by their teenage children. Best of all it’s free and available on Androids and iPhones.
EverDrive

This app actually turns safe driving into a game. You can use it to compete with your friends, family, and even drivers in your neighborhood to see who can drive the safest using this app. It rates you on everything from acceleration and braking to cornering, speed, and phone use. It then gives you a trip grade to compare with other drivers’ scores. And it’s free!
LifeSaver

LifeSaver operates silently in the background most of the time but activates when you start driving. Among other things, it allows employers to see its fleets’ driver performance and then sends daily or weekly email reports that detail inattentive driving violations by employers. It also has a special portal for parents, which includes a rewards system for young drivers. Cost: Free.
TrueMotion Family

The TrueMotion app provides an overall snapshot of your family members’ driving habits. Each family member's car trip gets graded on a 100-point scale, allowing you to measure improvement over time and see how your relatives compare in terms of safe driving practices. Inattentive driving is just one of the factors this app examines. You’ll also be able to see if your teen engaged in behavior like text messaging while driving. It’s free.
TextDrive

This one goes right to the heart of the matter and is highly rated for a reason. It sends messages to those who try to call or text you while you’re driving your car. And you can set up an auto-text and phone call reply that goes out automatically when people try to reach you while you are driving as well as a number of other features. It’s also free.
Learn more safety tips for driving:Safety Tips for Driving Your Audi A4 at Night
Another insurance company just released a very disturbing survey. According to State Farm, more than half of all respondents said they "always" or "often" read or send text messages while driving.
And 43 percent of respondents said they watched cellphone videos always or often while driving. More than a third said they always or often drove while engaged in a video chat.
That's more than enough reason to make sure you and your family are using safe driving apps when you are behind the wheel.
A Los Angeles Times article said that state laws that ban holding a cell phone or texting while driving give the impression that the danger stops there. But that is not true.

“The problem is asking the brain to do too many things at once. The technical term is cognitive overload, which includes distraction and multitasking and sensory input from a variety of sources.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has gone even further and called for a total ban on in-car device use — excluding built-in infotainment systems — while driving, except in emergencies.

And companies should restrict device use by employees, the NTSB said.
Keeping your mind off all phone technology while driving may be your best bet. But if you can’t resist, be sure to “invest” in one of these free apps!
Check out the latest inventory with premium safety driving features.
