For parents, teens and driving can be a hard enough mix, but throw cell phones in the mix and the worry over car accidents reaches a new height. Some parents in Pennsylvania hope new technology will help reduce the risk of distracted driving and therefore teen car accidents.

Parents are turning to new cellphone applications that prevent drivers from using their cellphones in moving cars. Parents realize that teenagers today spend a significant amount of time communicating with friends on cellphones through text and social media. The goal is to minimize the temptation teenagers have to use their cellphones while behind the wheel and therefore give parents peace of mind.

One 50-year-old father from Pennsylvania who has a 21-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son said, "[Teens] do so much of their communication using texting. I know how dangerous it is for me. It's really reassuring to know that they're not doing it." The technology also makes the roads safer for other drivers as well.

There are few different types of technology that limit the ability of drivers to use cellphones while driving. One type of technology uses GPS on the phone or in-vehicle Bluetooth to establish when the vehicle moves. Another technology locks the cellphone of the driver when the vehicle travels above a certain speed. Finally, there are applications that limit phone access for cars that allow drivers to plug phones directly into an information port.

Safety advocates hope the distracted driving applications will create a new culture where the bad habits of driving while distracted are erased from the inside of vehicles.

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