Anti-Texting And Driving Mobile Applications Help Save Lives On The Road
Distracted driving, specifically texting while driving, has rapidly become one of the most pervasive problems among motorists of all ages –a problem that often results in devastating and tragic outcomes.
Part of the solution for curbing this extremely dangerous and all too common driving behavior? There’s an app for that, several apps actually.
One mobile application, Text No More, available to Blackberry and Android users, rewards motorists who drive without sending or checkingtheir text messages while their vehicle is in motion. When the application is active, instead of receiving text messages, users will receive discounts and incentive coupons from Text No More sponsors.
After downloading the free application from their smart phones or from the Text No More website, users then activate the program prior to driving and selects their estimated driving time. Once the application is enabled, Text No More puts incoming and outgoing text messages on hold until the user's vehicle is no longer in motion. When a text message comes into a user's mobile device, Text No More sends an automated standard response,"Person A is driving and cannot reply", as well as a coupon to both the sender and receiver of the message. The user then visits a Text No More sponsor to redeem their reward and the sponsor scans the voucher directly from the mobile phone.
When the Text No More application is activated, users are still able to receive incoming phone calls with the use of a hands-free device.
Other anti-texting mobile applications, Android's Driving Text Answering Machine and AT&T's DriveMode, detect when a phone holder's vehicle is in motion and send customizable auto-reply messages back to senders to let them know that the recipient of the message is driving and will reply when it is safe to do so.
With the recent passing of Maine's texting and driving law, improving driving safety on our state's roadways is undeniably a high priority for all. We can all do our part to make Maine's roads safer for everyone who travels them. And now, our mobile phones can become part of the solution for once with anti-texting and driving applications.
The next time you go shopping in your mobile device's application store, remember that not all apps are just for fun and games --apps such as Text No More, Driving Text Answering Machine and DriveMode help save lives.
