You should never use your phone whilst driving but at the same time you can’t ignore trends in technology. In a few years smartphone apps have gone from a novelty to a staple of daily life and there are some really useful ones out there for drivers.
The Arval Drive Challenge is a free app that we launched which tells drivers about their driving performance against the measures of speed, acceleration and braking. But this is just one of many with useful apps ranging from sat navs and traffic finders to apps which turn your vehicle on and help you find a parking space.
Penetration of smartphones is now massive. Most people have at least one, many of us have more than one (a personal and work phone). A growing number of businesses also seem to be relaxing the restrictions on their company phones to allow employees to benefit from the relevant apps available.
Apps are also increasingly providing a closer link between the driver and their vehicle. Many of the motor manufacturers now create apps which synch with their vehicles and vice versa; so some apps will control elements of the vehicle while others pull content off the phone and into the vehicle – like your favourite music for example.
There is a line to be walked with apps – drivers must use them responsibly and ensure that they don’t become a distraction, while a phone should never be used in hand-held mode while the vehicle is on. But used properly, apps can be really useful, and expect the rich flow of new ones to continue.
