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Home > life > Wireless Products News > SafeRide Looks to Make Driving Safer

SafeRide Looks to Make Driving Safer

2017/1/9 14:41:20     Source: SIG     Views:2249     Comments:0

Summary:Driving

Scott Rownin is an inventor. He sees problems and creates solutions. That is what happened with his latest venture, SafeRide. I recently interviewed Scott about the new product and his Indiegogo campaign. 

Tell me about SafeRide? Why did you decide to develop the product in the first place?

As far back as I can remember, I have been conceptualizing and inventing new products. In most cases, there is a problem that I see and I look for a new solution. With SafeRide, I see people using their phones while driving every time I am in my car. I also noticed how tempting it was for me to check my phone every time it beeped or rang. As I thought through the issue, I tried to envision a way to automatically silence a person's phone when they drove their car so they could stay focused on the task at hand—driving safely. From that, the idea for SafeRide was born.

How does SafeRide differ from other hands-free devices and application on the market for distracted driving?

The majority of solutions that exist today are apps alone. There are two flaws with this approach. In these cases, the phone will lock if it is moving greater than 10 mph. However, if you are a teenager riding to school in someone else's car or taking the bus, your phone will still lock. As a result, you will need an unlock code, which can just as easily be used when driving. Secondly, these systems are dependent on the phone's GPS system. If it's disabled or unavailable, the system does not work.

SafeRide addresses both issues. Our trigger is the SafeRide hardware that resides in your car. As a result, your phone will not lock in someone else's car, or on the bus or train. Therefore, there is no need for an unlock code. You will always be able to make an emergency call and the administrator or parent can easily customize the function of the phone when locked.

If enabled, you can still use a hands-free system as well as driving related apps, like navigation. However, all of this is set within the password-protected app. As a parent, you can decide what is right for your family and then set the app accordingly. Because of this, SafeRide does not need a manual unlock. It’s all about eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

For the case where your GPS is unavailable, or it has been turned off on the phone, SafeRide will still lock your phone as soon as you get in the car. You will then be prompted to turn on the GPS in order for SafeRide to function properly. If you are in your car but not driving, and you need to use your phone, simply turn the GPS back on and the phone will unlock (since you're not moving). Once you are done using your phone, begin driving and the phone will lock, or just turn the GPS back off.

A few other solutions that exist today go beyond the app approach. Almost all require some means of installation and can be quite costly. Just put SafeRide in your cigarette lighter (or any 12V power port if you have extras) and you are done.

SafeRide is also a charger. We didn't want you to take your SafeRide out every time you need to charge your phone. So we've added a standard USB charging port right in the device.

What types of drivers benefit from using SafeRide?

Everyone can benefit from SafeRide. While this may seem to be an obvious choice for the parents of a teen driver, many other drivers can benefit. If you are driving in front of your pre-teen, they are watching and will ultimately do what you have done, not what you have said. SafeRide helps ensure that you do not give in to the temptation. Perhaps your spouse texts while driving and needs a little help quitting the habit—SafeRide can help. SafeRide is also perfect for employers, whether you have a few drivers working for you or a fleet of 500 trucks.

SafeRide can help make roads safer for everyone. We are working with insurance companies to try offering a discount to drivers that use SafeRide. Additionally, we are working on making the technology available in new cars from the manufacturer.

What made you decide to develop SafeRide with Bluetooth® technology?

I originally designed SafeRide using another technology. However, very early on it became clear that Bluetooth provided many improvements and added benefits. We benefited from the small footprint of the Bluetooth components—it allowed us to retain our initial design. We also made use of the uniqueness of each Bluetooth radio to facilitate the tracking and reporting for SafeRide. We benefited from the widespread use of Bluetooth technology. Not only does that make the product very simple to use, but it afforded us the opportunity to consider using existing Bluetooth devices (like the ones in your dash) as a trigger for the SafeRide application.

How do you see using Bluetooth technology in the future?

We have discussed the use of multiple Bluetooth radios to gain more insight into the behavioral patterns of drivers vs. passengers. We also considered using the data connection to augment the features of SafeRide in future version. What is certain is SafeRide 2.0 and beyond will continue to utilize Bluetooth technology due to the ease of implementation and simplicity it offers our customers.

SafeRide is currently raising money on Indiegogo to launch the product.

(Credit: Nanci Taplett)


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