So how do we tackle this issue? Do we lock down kids out from their cell phones to prohibit them from doing it? Erik Wood, creator of OTTER app, points out in an interview below that by listening to our youth respond with things such as,”I can get around that” or “I can hack that”, it is clear that the lock-down approach is likely to fail. Erik Wood believes that texting while driving is more of a lifestyle issue than anything, so with this hypothesis he set out to create OTTER app, which is like voicemail for phone texts, to help curb texting while driving.

In the interview below, Erik shows how OTTER tackles the problem of “texting and driving” as a lifestyle issue and a driving issue.

“By giving people tools on their phone to help minimize the distractions OTTER app tackles texting and driving as a lifestyle choice, not a driving issue from text-messaging, including driving, we don’t approach it as a texting and driving issue, but rather as a text-messaging culture issue, of which driving is a part.”

Without further ado, please check out the interview below where Erik Wood discussed OTTER app and how it might be smart for you to install it on your cell phone & even your kids’.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Putting technology to work for you so that you can better serve those counting on you… Here at Vinart Dealerships, we think OTTER app is something worth installing.

Has anyone used OTTER app before? We’d love to hear your thoughts and I’m sure the community would as well. Please take a minute to leave a comment with your OTTER app experience.

Matt Howard is a software engineer that absolutely loves texting. However, when he was backing out of his driveway one day and almost hit a kid behind him because he was texting, he wanted to come up with a solution to the problem that texting and driving causes. His creation – ZoomSafer – recently launched in public beta testing.

ZoomSafer is a piece of software that determines how fast your phone is moving. If the software decides you are driving in a car, it sends a message to people who text you during that time. The message tells the person that you are driving and you will get with them when you reach your destination. Another feature makes the phone beep when you get a text from a priority contact. With the push of a button, you can make the phone read the text to you so you can keep your eyes on the road.

Do you think this will make it safer using your phone while driving your used cars? Or is it still too tempting to text and do other things while behind the wheel? Let us know your thoughts below.

So far, more than 15 states have banned the practice of texting while driving. Other states are contemplating the implementation of similar bans. Some states ban cell phones altogether while driving and others are simply making texting a driving offense.

If a federal ban was voted through, it would likely cut down the amount of money states would receive from the federal government if they do not ban texting while driving. So it wouldn’t be an actual ban per se, but it be a roundabout way of forcing the states to follow the suggestion (or mandatory requirement) of banning the dangerous habit.

Critics of the federal ban are not sure if there is enough data on texting and driving to support a nationwide ban. A former congressman from Oklahoma – Steve Largent – said, “simply passing a law will not change behavior. We also need to educate new and experienced drivers on the dangers of taking their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel.”

How do you feel about a federal ban on texting while operating your used cars? Let us know in the section below.