Victoria Walker, an 11-year-old from California, has created an app to deter people from texting and driving. The app is called “Rode Dog” and works by barking at users when they attempt to text and drive. Walker created the app at AT&T’s “It Can Wait” hackathon with the help of David Frau, the creative director and designer of interactive agency WLDG. 

Walker and Frau have received $20,000 to further develop the app. When asked how she conceived the idea, Walker says it came to her as she listened to her three dogs barking. She decided the irritating sound could prevent anyone from doing almost anything. Walker, at 11-years-old, is not old enough to have her own drivers license but concluded that “Rode Dog” allows her to protect the people she cares about. “This app allows me to protect my parents if they are driving and texting,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

The app works when its users join with friends and family to create a “pack.” The users in a particular pack can then send a series of barks to any user they find texting and driving. The culprit’s phone will then proceed to bark repeatedly until the user stops texting and driving.

Watch the “It Can Wait” hackathon challenge above to discover more about “Rode Dog.” [Via PSFK and the L.A. Times]

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Claudia McNeilly is an editorial intern at the Toronto Standard. You can follow her on twitter at @claudiamcneilly

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