The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says teens are six times more likely to crash while dialing a cellphone and 23 times more likely to crash while texting. Reaction times become similar to those of a 70-year-old who drives without a cellphone. Parents have a new tool to fight this, but it works best for teens with Android—not Apple—smartphones.

The insurance company, Esurance, has introduced a new program called DriveSafe that monitors teens’ driving habits. DriveSafe includes a telematics device that installs into the onboard diagnostics port on any vehicle built after 1996, except hybrid and electric vehicles. Parents then download the DriveSafe app on their teens’ smartphones, and the app can track driving habits via Bluetooth and lock out certain functions while the car is moving. Read more…