Detroit’s Chevrolet Launches App to Prevent Distracted Driving

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Detroit-based General Motor Co.’s Chevrolet today announced the launch of Call Me Out, a smartphone app that reminds drivers to put their phones down while driving.

Call Me Out users invite family and friends to record messages to remind users to not use their phones while driving. The app uses the phone’s accelerometer and GPS to detect when it is picked up while traveling at speeds above 5 mph and then plays the messages.

The app also includes a scoreboard and rankings. The less a phone is handled while driving, the higher the score on the leaderboard. Android users can download the free app from the Google Play store, and the app is not specific to Chevrolet or GM vehicles.

“As the father of two daughters, I am keenly aware of all the perils that my children face out in the world on a daily basis, and that is why it is so important for GM and Chevrolet to offer technologies that help all of us become safer drivers,” says Alan Batey, president of GM North America and head of Global Chevrolet.

“With Call Me Out, we are extending our commitment beyond the technologies integrated into GM and Chevy vehicles and are making the app available for Android phone users who drive other vehicle makes and models in an effort to help people change their driving behavior and make our roads safer.”

The app was the winning idea of a hackathon Chevrolet hosted to find a solution to reduce distracted driving. The company partnered with Detroit’s Wayne State University to test the app’s effectiveness and concept of leveraging the positive influence of peer pressure.

According to a recent Research Now survey, 84 percent of people admit that driving while handling a phone is dangerous. However, 90 percent of drivers have done it.