When you’re behind the wheel of a car, you have a responsibility to keep yourself safe as well as to prevent yourself from injuring other people on the road. This is the simple basis for every single law, regulation and code written about driving. Driving while text messaging has become one of the biggest problems on the road today. Let’s examine the costs of sending a text while driving, then compare the various apps that you can use to prevent someone using an iPhone from putting themselves and others are risk.
What is the Cost of Texting and Driving?
Roughly 387,000 people are injured in the United States each year because a driver wasn’t paying attention. Another 3,200 are killed. The monetary cost of texting and driving accidents is too hard to calculate. Not only is there an immediate cost required for repairs of cars, land and property, but there’s also the need to take into account the cost of increased insurance premiums.
What everyone can agree upon is the fact that the cost for sending a text message while driving is way too high. The risk isn’t worth the reward. Any message that can be sent while driving isn’t worth injuring, maiming or killing someone over due to the driver’s neglect.
iPhone Apps that Eliminate the Risk of Texting and Driving
Texting while driving is a serious problem, but the up side of it is that there’s apps specifically written to help drivers stop themselves from doing it. These apps are especially helpful for people who may not be able to stop themselves or lack the proper judgment to do so, which is handy for younger drivers.
1. Drive Alive
Platforms Supported: iOS and Android Price: Free (and Rewarding) While most apps focus on locking your phone, this one doesn’t. Instead of doing that, it teaches you how to drive without your phone. Drive Alive utilizes your phone’s GPS to determine when your car is in motion. When your finally stop your car, you’ll be rewarded with points if you didn’t attempt to use your phone at any point during your drive. These points can then be used to unlock various rewards. Consider it a ‘thank you’ for not texting and driving. This makes it work even better with younger drivers.
Download Drive Alive : Android iOS
2. Drive Safe Mode
Platforms Supported: iOS and Android Price: $1.99 a month There are times when you need to use your phone while driving. They’re known as emergencies. If you lock your phone from being used at all when you’re moving, then you may inadvertently find yourself in a bad predicament. Drive Safe Mode locks your phone, but it allows for you to still make phone calls to emergency numbers and a select list of phone numbers. Texting is off-limits. For added peace of mind, it also allows you to set it up to message someone automatically when your phone is used. This makes it great for preventing kids from trying to circumvent the app, as it can always send their parents a message to let them know.
Download Drive Safe Mode: Android iOS
3. Drive Safe.ly Pro
Platforms Supported: iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile Price: $13.99 a year for individuals and $34.95 a year for the family plan Eliminating text messages from the equation is as simple as eliminating the need to glance at the screen to read and stopping the need to type. This app allows you to have your texts translated into an audio message that you can hear. You can then use the speech-to-text feature to compose your text reply without ever touching a key.
Download Safe.ly Pro: Website
4. Canary
Platform: iOS ; Price: Free Canary is a free application aimed at helping parents to prevent their children from driving unsafely while in the presence of their phones. It can send you an alert when someone uses the phone to access social media, text messages or phone calls. Canary can also be set up to put further alarm triggers in place, such as phone volume, driving speeds, the time and locations.
Download Canary: iOS
5. Common Sense
Platform: Every Platform (No Smart Phone Required) Price: Free Unfortunately, all the apps listed so far only have one application; they’re for stopping you from using your phone while driving. Common sense is an app that’s been around for a very long time. It’s free, but people seem to rarely use it. Transferring it between parent and child seems impossible, but it can be done. On a more serious note, common sense is the one thing that can keep anyone safe. The problem is that it requires you to use your head and to put those impulses behind you. It’s by far the most effective thing that you can use on this entire page, so always try to employ it before turning to one of these other apps.
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