Texting and driving is an epidemic. NHTSA considers it six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, yet 70 percent of drivers admit to doing it. messageLOUD might be the answer you’re looking for if you don’t trust yourself to put the phone down.
At any given hour across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using smartphones while driving. AAA suggests that 60 percent of teen crashes are due in significant part to mobile phones. The practice is illegal in 45 states, but the cold fact is that people are doing it, regardless of the statistics and the punishment. The folks at messageLOUD developed their app to help drivers avoid the temptation by automatically reading texts and email out loud, and allow response without every having to look at the phone.
After a simple sign-in with an email address, users can tap one of three modes (DriveMODE, WorkMODE and ActiveMODE).
DriveMODE reads all of your texts and emails out loud, so that you never need to pick up the phone. messageLOUD has an customizable auto-responder for incoming texts, and customizable settings that allow you to ignore or allow particular contacts.
The app also allows you to delete an email, or dismiss a text or email without ever looking at the device. It also allows you to call a sender back immediately while keeping your eyes safely on the road, none of which an Android phone allows you to do on its own.
The video gives you an idea of how it works:
“Distracted driving kills thousands, injures more than half a million people each year, and is responsible for billions of dollars in insurance claims. Our mission at messageLOUD is to eliminate accidents and deaths due to smartphone usage while driving,” said Garin Toren, founder and CEO of messageLOUD. “We’re working with local and federal governments, non-profits, corporations and mobile phone carriers to orchestrate a tangible effort to deliver safer messaging while driving.”
messageLOUD is available for download at the Google Play Store.
It’s free for the first 30 days, then $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. Right now, you can help keep your loved ones safe by gifting them a subscription to messageLOUD directly for $15.99 a year. It’s a great gift for the text-obsessed teen in your life.
Right now, the app is only available for Android devices, but an iPhone app is coming, as is one for smart wearables.
