A Canadian company unveils an iPhone app that uses a carrot-and-stick approach to discourage cellphone use while driving.
Auto Advisory 2.0, developed by Specific Range Solutions, continuously monitors the driver’s iPhone to ensure it isn’t unlocked during the trip and sends a banner and audio notification advising the driver not to use the device if driving is detected. The Canadian company is the second in recent weeks to launch an app of this type, joining U.K.-based GEM Motoring in the field.
The app maintains privacy and doesn’t affect the iPhone’s functionality, the Ottawa-based aerospace-engineering company says. The app can be turned off if a passenger wishes to use their iPhone.
The app, downloadable for $0.99, provides feedback at the end of the trip via the Auto Debrief feature that tracks and records last-trip and total distances driven without using one’s iPhone. This “enables drivers to share their safe driving milestones via Facebook and Twitter with family and friends,” the company says in a news release. “These milestones could be used by a parent to reward a teen with a tank of gas for safe driving, or a fleet manager to incentivize drivers to keep their focus on the road.”
To run Auto Advisory 2.0 the vehicle must be Bluetooth-equipped or the iPhone must be plugged in to the vehicle charger.
