The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16-19-year-olds than any other age group, and speeding and using smartphones are two of the main causes. To eliminate accidents and fatalities, Toyota has created the Android app Safe and Sound which has been built in cooperation with Molamil and MapsPeople.
The app, targeted for European teen drivers, takes a lighthearted but effective approach to help young drivers stay focused on speed limits and the rules of the road, not on their cellphones. And it can be used by anyone, not just Toyota owners.
Safe and Sound combats speeding and distracted driving is by using music. Before parents turn over their car keys, parents and teens download and run the app to set it up. The app syncs with Spotify, and uses the Google Maps Roads API to monitor a teen’s driving behavior.
If Safe and Sound determines the teen is speeding, it’ll override the teen’s music with a Spotify playlist specifically chosen by the parent - and the teen can’t turn it off. The parents’ playlist turns off and switches back to the teen’s only when the teen drives at the speed limit.
The app also helps prevent distracted driving. When it detects the car is moving above nine miles an hour, it switches on a “do not disturb” mode that blocks social media notifications, incoming and outgoing texts, and phone calls.
If the teen touches the phone, the app will detect that too, and play the parents' Spotify playlist until the teen removes his or her hand. At the end of the drive, Safe and Sound alerts parents to how many times their teen exceeded the speed limit or touched the phone. Parents can also tap a link in the app that displays the route the teen drove in Google Maps.
