"It heightens parents' awareness of this problem," Rolayne Fairclough, Utah AAA spokesperson said. While parents can't always be with their kids while they are driving, the technology in systems like tiwi allow them to play a more active role in helping their children become better drivers, she said.

Jeff Nigbur, spokesman for the Utah Highway Patrol, said these kinds of applications establish a keener sense of responsibility in teen drivers or anyone who is behind the wheel.

"It definitely does create some type of accountability, whether it is commercial, industrial or … when you're a teenage driver," he said. "With that (accountability), you might avoid some type of crash … a ticket, or avoid some type of contact with highway patrol or some other law enforcement agency."

He said that parents who decide to put such a device in their vehicles should explain to their teens the reasoning behind doing so.

"Teenagers don't have the experience that someone who's been driving for 30 years does," he said. "If you know you're being watched, you're definitely less likely to break the law."

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