“To be honest, it was just kind of one of those light bulb experiences for me. I was driving to campus actually and I’ve always been someone who doesn’t believe in texting and driving,” she says. “And my phone kept going off with phone calls and text messages and gmails and after all that the little blinking red light that reminded me that I had something was like right in my face. It kept distracting me.”

She called her father for advice. He researched app building companies and similar products already on the market. Together the Napoleons looked at how their product could be different.

ProTextUs provides incentives. Once activated, it locks phone functions. Then it tracks miles driven using built-in GPS technology. Miles accrue as points, which are exchangeable for rewards. Napoleon says she hopes to secure sponsorships from companies such as Apple and Coca-Cola.

She says distracted driving is something people don’t take seriously.

“They just think it won’t happen to them or that they’re good at texting while driving and it’s just not true. And, you know, if there is something like ProTextUs out there to help people drive safer on the road, I think it’s something that people should definitely take more of an interest in,” she adds.

They are currently searching for sponsors to help defray costs and provide reward and hope to have the free app available within six months, says Napoleon.