In-car texting is a serious problem, one so big that AT&T dedicated an entire hackathon contest to defeating it.
Coming out on top was Rode Dog, a canine-themed app that aims to take a bite out the increasingly prevalent danger.
The way the app works is simple: Whenever a user attempts to text while driving, friends and family (known as “the pack”) can send a cacophony of barks to stop drivers in their tracks.
The idea for Rode Dog came from Victoria Walker, an 11-year old who developed the app alongside designer David Grau. Together, the team won $20,000, which they plan to use to further develop the app.
Alex Donn, senior marketing manager for AT&T, told VentureBeat that Rode Dog got the crown because it found a simple yet effective way to pressure drivers into putting away their phones.
“What stuck out about the app for us was its focus on the immediate family, the people closest to you,” Donn said, noting that he found this strategy to be more effective than solutions based on larger social networks.
“These kinds of pressures are much more relevant and useful for people,” he said.
The other big pull? It’s entertaining, a feature that Donn says is essential to get people to keep using it.
We also can’t ignore Rode Dog’s ingenious monetization strategy. With The Pet Store, users of the app can purchase different barks, and, one day, sounds from entirely new animals.
So could we one day see Rode Dog as a default app on AT&T’s phones? “Absolutely,” Donn said.
Filed under: mobile
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This article originally appeared on VentureBeat
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What would be nice is an app that disables text capabililites while the car is in motion. THAT would be something I would pay for!
A better method would be for cities with such laws to enforce them. Pull folks over for driving with cell phones in hand. Actually use those traffic cam photos and ticket folks caught on the cams. Let walkers like me send in photos of folks I see daily who nearly run into me because they are talking or texting with phone in hand. And an app like this only works if you know the person is driving so you must be in the car with them. Simply telling them to put away the phone or even taking it from them works just as well. As proven by my nephew who at the age of ten knew his big brother (17) wasn't supposed to be using his phone while driving. Caleb grabbed the phone right out of his brothers hand and from the back seat hung up the call, called his parents and ratted his brother out before Michael could pull over and get the phone back. Michael was grounded for a month, cell phone taken away for 3 and car privileges for six. He and his prom date had to be driven to the prom by her parents or take the city bus. And as my brother is a cop, he had Michael ticketed for improper cell phone use while driving
WOW ! Shouts out for Victoria and David and the child has done a great job infact.