Combating Distracted Driving With Apps

If you have been following our blog, you are aware of the dangers associated with distracted driving and have read about laws enacted to prohibit drivers from engaging in dangerous practices. If people are aware that texting and driving are a dangerous combination, why do they continue to engage in this behavior?

Some psychologists believe that our desire to text, in spite of this risks associated with this activity, arises from the positive feedback that our brains provide when we respond to a text message. Triggered by a ping or buzz programmed into the phone, a chemical called dopamine is released whenever we anticipate receiving a reward. In this case, a response to a text message is the reward. When we get and reply to a text, these good feelings reinforce our notion that texting is beneficial even if we know we could become injured while texting and driving.

It’s not just teenagers who succumb to the siren song of an incoming text notification; adults admit to texting while driving as well. According to an AT