Distracted Driving: Developers Hope New App Will Help Motorists "DriveWell"

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

Over the past several years, the increase in how many people use smartphones has also had a dramatic effect on the increase in car crashes caused by distracted driving. Millions of drivers admit to dangerous driving behavior, such as text messaging or other activities on their phone. However, two MIT professors have developed a smartphone app which can actually help decrease the number of distracted driving accidents.

The app, called DriveWell, collects data while running in the background of the driver’s smartphone, and is able to detect when driving begins and ends. According to the app’s description, it uses low-power sensing methods and therefore has a limited impact on the phone’s battery. (Users should keep in mind, however, that the app uses GPS, which may have an impact on the phone’s battery life.)

Some of that data includes speeding, driving smoothness, distractions from the phone, as well as what type of road the person is driving on. The app grades the driver on how well – or how poorly – their driving habits are. Scores range from 1 to 100. These scores can be used to get discounts and prizes from participating insurance companies. Drivers can compete with friends and even other drivers around the world to come up with the best score.

The app also offers the driver information to help improve their score. It provides the driver with a summary of the road trip, as well as specifics on any driving maneuvers that occurred while the vehicle was in motion.

The developers of the app tested in out in South Africa by launching a safe driving campaign last year. The country statistically has one of the highest accident rates in the world, with almost 32 fatalities for every 100,000 people.

The campaign had almost 65,000 drivers participating during a four-month period. Drivers were able to earn points for their safe driving, and those points were entered in a weekly lottery. There was also a grand prize winner.

When the campaign began, more than 80 percent of the drivers classified themselves as safe drivers, however, data from the apps revealed that only 33 percent of participating drivers could actually be classified as safe drivers.

After two weeks, statistics revealed that speeding was reduced by 50 percent. Drivers also reduced bad habits such as cornering and hard braking, in addition to decreasing their cell phone usage while driving by half.

No matter how safe of a driver you may be, there is always the risk of a car accident with another driver who does not practice safe driving habits. If you have been injured in a car crash, contact an experienced Lake County injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have.

Source:

http://news.mit.edu/2016/startup-smartphone-app-safe-driving-0105