When teaching me how to drive as a teenager, I remember my father leaning over next to me and saying, “it is not you I’m worried about. It’s those people.” You know the ones. Drivers who careen through a red light while it’s barely pink, take the on ramp going 70, or pass through four lanes of dense highway traffic without a turn signal. For drivers all over the country, the newest iPhone app, which rates the driving of its owner using GPS tracking, motivates feelings of relief and hope for a safer driving tomorrow.

Sponsored by State Farm Insurance, the Driver Feedback application uses the accelerometer in the iPhone as well as a GPS locator system to determine a driver’s affinity for risky driving maneuvers such as hard acceleration or deceleration and abrupt swerves. Judging from these three areas during a given road trip, an overall rating is provided to the driver. By analyzing the results provided from trip to trip the driver can then evaluate his progress on the road. If he consistently receives a dismal score, he should take the hint that he needs to work on his driving skills.

While the latest GPS tracking application certainly has its effectiveness, this seemingly innocent novelty has met with a mild degree of resistance. After all, isn’t cell phone use marking the top of the charts for driver distraction? However well-meaning, drivers who choose to use the Driver Feedback application while driving are making matters worse by removing their attention from the road. It is thus highly recommended that iPhone users avoid checking their progress during the course of their road trips. Instead, exercise patience and wait until you come to a stop before peaking at the results.

Reckless driving is among the top causes of car accidents in America. With 2 million accidents and more than 13,000 deaths annually caused by drivers who care more for a thrill than for the safety of others, it’s about time that someone did something. While the Driver Feedback app cannot prevent drivers from recklessness on the road, it can at least alert them to their poor driving habits. Perhaps it will motivate them to remedy their selfish ways. Even if only a few lives are saved by this GPS tracking-based application, it will be well worth the effort.

Article Written by Janice Grover