Texting while driving is illegal in 47 states in America and yet, an estimated 330,000 accidents are caused by texting and driving. A recent study by Zendrive revealed that Californians spend about 6.54% of their driving time on the phone.
Did you know that there are apps that can help you drive more safely?
These apps can be used to block texting while driving, encourage drivers to pay attention and be less distracted from the task at hand. Here are our top picks. The below 3 apps include features that enable California drivers to be safer on the road.
Apps For Safer Driving Practices in California
1. SafeDrive
Get the app here – https://www.getsafedrive.com Cost – FREE
The SafeDrive app provides drivers feedback on their driving and helps them improve their road habits. The app monitors dangerous road habits such as speeding, abrupt acceleration, sharp turns, unexpected stops, and rates the overall quality of your driving.
SafeDrive operates on the premise that to become a better driver, you must be aware of your bad habits as This is the first step to stopping them.The app is not as strict as some text-blocking apps and California drivers who start the app before hitting the road will be rewarded with points. These points can be used to get discounts at some partner stores.Points are given based on traffic, speed, and the distance traveled. The app won’t prevent drivers from texting, but it will help encourage safer driving habits by rewarding drivers.
2. Drivemode
Get the app here – https://drivemode.com
Cost – FREE
The Drivemode app is only available in the Android store. It is a very intuitive app and was designed for busy people who are predisposed to being distracted behind the wheel. You can view the app as a complete driving system — one that sections driving tasks into 4 activities: music, contacts, navigation, and settings.
Music
Swipe the screen on the music screen to adjust volume or toggle playback. The driver can easily change the music player on the app making it less distracting to search your playlist.
Contacts Drivers can access a list of their favorite contacts. Each name is read out loud and clicking a contact allows the driver to call or send a pre-composed text message. Voice search is also available, making this feature an awesome handsfree solution when driving.
Navigation The navigation screen offers a view of several shortcuts to favorite driving destinations. These destinations are spoken aloud when displayed and clicking it will start the navigation system. Drivemode is a really smart app and can bring up destinations associated with upcoming calendar appointments or messages.
Settings The last screen is the settings page which shows you several options such as adding entries to favorite lists, music, and contacts.Drivemode allows drivers to reply to SMS messages or emails using their voice. All these features make it a safe choice for California drivers who want to stay safe on the road without any distractions.
3. IOnRoad
Get the app here – http://www.ionroad.com Cost – FREE
No need for an annoying backseat driver that acts as your conscience. Instead of helping you stay safe, some apps or passengers can be a distraction. IOnRoad helps you to be a safer and reliable driver with features such as tailgating alerts, parking lot car locator, collision warnings, augmented driving, and even the capability of taking pictures of bad drivers on the road.
It is available for Android and iOS and provides a variety of personal driving support functions to improve driving by harnessing the power of modern computer vision algorithms and smartphone cameras.The app makes use of your phone’s camera and can keep track of your route, gas consumption, your speed, and acceleration. You will even get a safety driving score.
IOnRoad makes road safety fun and truly helps you become a better driver. With so much distraction on the road these days, becoming a safer driver has never been more important.Apps for safer driving practices in California are many. Staying safe on the road is critical in this modern age where tech devices have made life so much more interesting as well as dangerous.
Conclusion
There are some things that mobile apps cannot obviously solve, and unsafe driving is one of them. The only way to actually drive safely and prevent accidents is to STOP texting, emailing, talking on the phone or browsing the Web while driving. All of these activities can be life-threatening and only your commitment to protecting your life and the lives of others will keep you safe on the road.