This PSA and giveaway is sponsored by Sprint.
When Mike and I are on long drives, we play, “Count the cell phones.” The passenger calls out every time we pass a car with driver looking at a mobile phone. Whoever is driving our car has two roles in this game: to guess how long it will take until we find one hundred distracted drivers, and to give those cars a wide berth. We usually find our hundred drivers in about ten to fifteen minutes, and then we stop playing because we’re so terrified.
The problem is that everyone thinks someone else is the problem. Literally. Ninety-nine percent of all Americans consider themselves safe drivers. That sounds like wishful thinking to me – none of us mean to be unsafe on the road, but there is more potential to be distracted than ever before. I know for me, my cell phone is a terrible temptation. Since I often use my phone as my navigator, it’s out on my console and when a text message pings on the screen, it’s almost impossible to resist glancing down at it. I’ve often wished there was a way to turn off my incoming text messages to remove the temptation all together…and it turns out, there is.
The Sprint M2M Network hosts several solutions to keep drivers safer, and one of them is disabling text messages through the use of an OBD2 device. Once the OBD2 is plugged into your car it can do other cool things like vehicle tracking and maintenance alerts, but to me the ability to remove any temptation to send or read text messages is the true selling point – and the kicker is that your insurance company likely already offers it. All you have to do is call them up and ask for one.
This technology is being heavily directed towards parents of teen drivers, and rightfully so: more teenagers die from texting and driving than drunk driving. That’s staggering. But I think that OBD2 devices can benefit everyone on the road. Nothing is more important than arriving safely. Remember when cell phones were just phones? Let’s go back to that when we’re behind the wheel.
Find out more about these amazing devices here.
Sprint wants to give one of my readers a 32GB Black & Slate iPad Mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular for Sprint! Listed below are a few ways to enter to win. I want to win, you lucky, lucky people.
If you have any questions, please let me know. Good luck!
Lacey Sanders says:
Interesting – I have also heard (in the Anchorage Daily News) about a Safe Mobile Systems app, available for Android phones, that shuts down everything on your phone when it’s moving faster than 4 mph. No phone calls. No games. No text alerts. You can only call 911 or an “administrator,” like a parent, who can disable the app via text while the car is in motion. An iPhone version is expected in the next few months.
Mandi says:
I was feeling this same temptation the other day but kept thinking about those commercials where the person texting while driving is left with the devastation of what they’d done and it’s a huge incentive to leave my phone where it lies. It’s just not worth it!
Jenny from Mommin' It Up says:
Despite knowing how dangerous this is, the temptation is always very strong for me to look at a text when I hear my notification ping while driving. I think I’m just going to turn the notifications off when I get in the car. Also, I hope I win, because I already have an iPad and I’ve won or received two through blogging, which I have given to a special needs child. If I win this it will go to another. Oh please Rafflecopter!! I already know the boy it will go to.
Maura says:
That is a fantastic technology. What’s not clear to me, even after visiting the link, is whether it only works with phones on the Sprint network or not. I’ll be checking with my insurance agent.
Jessica Gottlieb says:
It will work with phones on any network. The Sprint wireless network simply provides the bandwith that the device runs on.
Amanda says:
I work for a nonprofit Impact Teen Drivers. Our focus is on education about the dangers of reckless and distracted driving. Even though “teen” is in our name, we also talk to parents and adults as well as preschool, elementary and middle school children about passenger safety. We’ll be updating the preschool and elementary materials this winter- it includes coloring pages and a “seat belt salute.” All of our materials are free to use! We really encourage parents and teachers to start talking to their children young about seat belts and safe driving, as well as being good, quiet passengers so mommy and daddy can drive safely! URL: impactteendrivers.org
Thanks for posting about distracted driving!
Lex says:
That’s amazing that this now exists. I hope everyone gets one. It’s scary out there.
C says:
Thanks for posting this. I drive 120 miles round trip through rural Wisconsin & Illinois 5 days a week to get to work and back, and I am routinely horrified by the amount of cell phone-holding swerving drivers I see! I can only imagine how much more pronounced the problem is on California freeways!
Debi says:
The OBD2 is amazing technology and is definitely going to save lives. I have stopped using the cell phone when I am in the car , unless I am parked. I have a 6 & 8 year old and they see everything. I don’t want to be the example that gets them killed one of these days, never mind driving distracted now and wrecking with them in the car. Too much precious cargo on board to chance it. Love this product.
Nellie says:
I’m not all that technologically savvy but love to hear about companies doing more to keep families safe while using the latest, greatest techie item or app.