Distracted driving is serious, claiming over 3,000 lives in 2019 alone. And though we may immediately think of texting and driving, there is plenty in an automobile to cause distraction. From the radio to chatty passengers, or even taking a bite to eat, driving can be far from peaceful. In just a handful of distracted seconds, you can drive hundreds of feet without your full attention on the road. Here’s a list of the best apps to encourage safe driving!
Reducing distractions while we drive is important. While smartphone use is over five times as likely to cause an accident, our phones can also help us stay safe on the road. From apps that disable notifications to those that pay out for safe driving milestones, our phones are crucial tools in ending distracted driving. In fact, with the rise of virtual and digital assistants, phones are changing how we drive.
With the above information in mind, here are five of the best free apps to encourage safe driving.
Drivemode Dash
Drivemode Dash was created by Drivemode, a software development company owned by Honda and committed to road safety. This app focuses on eliminating outside distractions that normally plague drivers. Once the car is moving at 15 miles per hour, the app automatically silences incoming calls, texts, and alerts.
Drivemode Dash features:
- Real-time auto-replies to messages
- App deactivation notifications (great for parents of teens)
- An easy interface designed to reduce distraction
- Voice activation and text-to-speech
The app is free, but it does show ads. Having said that, it features integration with other popular apps, including Waze, map apps, and Apple Music. Drivemode Dash is a great app to silence the distractions caused by phones, while allowing you hands-free access. It currently has a rating of 4.1 on Android systems, and a 3.3 for iPhone users.
OnMyWay
OnMyWay is another app that automatically silences text and app notifications while you’re driving. Once the app senses movement above 10 miles per hour, it auto-disables alerts. However, it will still allow phone calls through a vehicle’s Bluetooth system.
Within its first 14 months, the app has prevented more than 23,500 crashes, and it has saved over 150 lives.
As an added incentive, the app also pays drivers $0.05 for every mile they don’t text and drive. OnMyWay even pays passengers that use the app. Currently, you can refer friends to use the app, and earn an extra $0.02 for every mile they don’t drive and text.
Earning a 4.3-star rating on both Apple’s and Google’s App stores from over 21,000 users, OnMyWay has proven its worth (and value) as a safe driving app. And, it’s free!
SAFE 2 SAVE
Similarly, SAFE 2 SAVE encourages drivers to avoid texting through payment. The driver earns two points for every minute of safe driving over 10 miles per hour. Those points can be redeemed at various establishments, including restaurants and online businesses.
SAFE 2 SAVE is a great family app as well. Not only does it incentivize safe driving, but it also:
- Allows drivers to set up safe driving competitions between other app users (including family and friends).
- Generates codes so you can join others’ competitions, such as business pools and school groups.
- Gives passengers the same points for keeping their phones distraction-free.
SAFE 2 SAVE currently has a 4.1 rating on the Google Play store, ranked by over 700 people. On the Apple Store, 7000 have given it 4.9 stars. Safe driving doesn’t have to be boring. With SAFE 2 SAVE, your safety pays you!
TrueMotion Family Safe Driving
For a more comprehensive safety experience, there’s TrueMotion Family Safe Driving. This app uses complex telemetrics and in-phone sensors to track driving and phone usage behaviors. Based on that data, it will analyze your driving habits, and provide real-time feedback on your driving behavior, including highlighting the exact points at which you were distracted. As a family app, this allows parents to compare the driving habits of the entire family.
The app can track many driving behaviors, including:
- Hard braking
- Speeding
- Phone distractions such as texts or app alerts
- Sudden accelerations
The app is built with safety in mind. In the event of a crash, TrueMotion’s crash-detection technology alerts emergency services within 60 seconds. And, it also creates crash reconstructions for insurance purposes—all within 10 minutes.
TrueMotion currently has a 3.4 rating from 160 people on the Google Play store. Additionally, it sits at a 3.6 rating on the Apple Store according to 153 people. Despite a small number of reviews, the app also highlights its effectiveness.
Within the first 30 days of using TrueMotion, the top 30% of users show a 39% reduction in phone distractions. As well, they show a 30% reduction in speeding, and an over 50% reduction in hard braking. Sometimes, seeing the data is enough to eliminate problematic issues.
I’m Driving
On the opposite end of the app spectrum, I’m Driving is a fairly lightweight app. Instead of shutting off alerts, I’m Driving lets you know which one of your phone contacts is driving. Likewise, it lets your contacts with the app know that you are driving. This way, you and your friends and family will avoid texting (and distracting) each other.
Featuring real-time updates and an easy interface, I’m Driving is designed to be simple for safety’s sake. Engaging with a simple push of a button, the app will reach out to all of your contact lists, including:
- iMessage
- Phone contacts
- Viber
All real-time updates happen in the background, so there won’t be any distracting pop-ups while you’re driving.
I’m Driving currently has a rating of 4.8 on the Apple Store, based on five people. It also features a 4.4 rating from 17 reviews on the Google Play store. And, aside from some in-app ads, it is completely free.
Eliminate Your Distractions
Of course, there are plenty of means on modern smartphones to limit distractions, even without an app. For example, most phones feature a “Do Not Disturb” mode that pauses all notifications.
Several popular (and distracting) apps now come with “Car Modes,” including Apple Maps and Spotify. These modes focus on hands-free usability through voice control and a simplified touch interface to keep your focus on the road.
Automotive virtual assistants are becoming another helpful trend. Amazon’s Alexa technology has been integrated with many practical car accessories. These include smart dash cams, all-in-one phone mounts, and even smart charging stations. The future is here. And when you can speak to a virtual assistant while driving, there’s no reason to ever look at your phone while you’re behind the wheel.
Distracted driving is a preventable problem. Keeping our eyes on the road is important, but drivers are inundated with distractions from every direction. Fortunately, we can turn our phones into anti-distraction tools and get paid while driving safely. It’s a win-win situation.
