An 11 year old has won $20,000 from AT&T in an app competition to try and discourage texting while driving. In collaboration with the designer David Grau, Victoria Walker created an app called Rode Dog for the “It Can Wait” campaign.

How the app works is that you join a “pack” with your friends (you all have to download the app) and then if you realize that another friend is texting while driving, you’re permitted to send a loud barking sound to that friend. The sound then stops when you put the phone away.

The app is designed for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, and the prize money is going to go towards improving the app. It will come out later this year.

While I believe the campaign is great, I wonder if this app should really win? I don’t know but the description of how it works doesn’t seem particularly that effective to me. Who’s actually going to say they’re texting while driving? And wouldn’t your phone suddenly barking at you be extremely distracting in itself?

In any case, it’s good to see that there’s starting to be more of a focus on preventing texting while driving. Because, you know, It Can Wait.

[Via Geek.com | Image and more info from Rode Dog]