A Florida father has channeled his protective parenting into a new mobile app that compiles feedback on teen drivers.
Mike McManigal created the 'How's My KID Driving?' app, along with a corresponding bumper sticker to solicit feedback from other drivers on the road performance of the novice motorists.
For an annual member fee, $15 the first year and $10 annually thereafter, parents register the license plate number of their child's car on the website, howismykiddriving.co, and then affix the eye-catching bumper art to the new driver's car.
Drivers who have the free Push Text app downloaded on their iPhones or Androids can punch in the tag number and send their feedback via text, to the parents monitoring the account.
McManigal, from Cooper City, Florida, said he came up with the idea from seeing the 'How's My Driving?' bumper stickers on semi-trailer trucks along the highway during a road trip.
'This puts a little bit of yourself in the passenger seat as a parent,' McManigal told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
'Once [teen drivers] leave the driveway and turn the corner and they're out of sight, no one's policing them.'
The app, which officially launched in late July, has been recognized for its ingenuity.
Car accidents are the number one cause of death for U.S. teens, who are four times more likely than older drivers to crash, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite the praise for the app, it has raised some concerns that is might be dangerous because it encourages texting while driving.
Additionally, teenagers on the pursuit to show their cool factor are less than impressed with having to put the accessory on the back of their vehicle.
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TXT 24
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