Thursday, February 3, 2011

Safe Driving for Safecell Rewards Android Drivers

There are plenty of apps to prevent distracted driving and location-based reward programs to choose from, but now a newly released application called SafeCell combines the two and actually rewards you for safe driving in the form of credit at more than 500 participating retailers. 
Last week we reported that T-Mobile had teamed up with Location Labs for to offer Drivesmart to T-Mobile customers. Drivesmart is a great app that restricts driving and texting.  Drivesmart is the first carrier grade app of it’s kind.



Before we get into the rewards part, let’s tell you a little bit about the app.  One of the things that sets Safecell apart from other similar apps is that Safecell maintains a database of state laws. For example some states have just texting while driving laws while others have talking and driving laws, while others have both and some still have none.  Safecell uses GPS location based technology and knows what the law is where you are driving. Safecell lets you know when you’re about to change states and what the law is in the upcoming state.
In addition to the Safecell driving law database Safecell also features these features


Today we have learned that a new company called Safecell is taking safe driving to the next level with a rewards points program.  Safecell is available to both Android and iPhone (as we firmly believe that safe driving is for all phones regardless of OS) however because of Android’s openness there are a lot more features available in the Android version. However a key feature is open to both OS’s and that is safe driving rewards.

SAFECELLapp Unique Features
  • Pushes laws based on GPS location
  • Alerts Drivers Entering School Zones
  • Reporting Capabilities
  • Gaming/Rewards Functionality
  • Cash Equivalent Reward Redemption
  • Continuous Visual Advisory (CVA)™
  • Web-based trip tracking (Trip Tracker)™
  • National Regulation Repository
Core Features
  • Speed engagement (Android)
  • Responds in-transit message (Android)
  • Blocks texting (Android)
  • Blocks calls (Android)
  • GPS Enabled
  • Software Enabled
  • 911 override
  • Voice prompts for cell laws
  • Passenger disable function
Cell phone Models
  • Android
  • Apple® iPhone (OS versions 3.0 and higher)
  • Blackberry (spring/summer, 2011)
Now the really cool part. Everyone loves free stuff and Safecell knows that.  All you have to do is enable the app to disengage texting and talking while driving and you can earn a 1pt for every mile driven safely.  You can redeem these points for gift certificates and merchandise from  Safecell’s retail partners. They have partnered with retail partners like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Apple to offer rewards for safe driving behavior.

Similar to other apps, when it detects that you're driving over five miles per hour, it will disable the texting and calling functions of your phone, per the laws of the state or jurisdiction you're driving in. For text messages, drivers can elect for the app to auto-respond to messages, saying, "The person you are trying to reach is driving and will receive your message upon reaching their destination." While this function is offered by many of the current safe-driving apps on the market, the feature setting SafeCell apart is its rewards program: for every 500 miles safely driven, users receive a $5 credit, redeemable at over 500 retail outlets. Rewards are capped at $250 per year.
The app can also track driving patterns, creating a driving log for concerned parents or employers whose children or employees use the app.

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