Judging from the sheer number of people I’ve seen on their cell phones while driving, you might do well to file this one under the hypocrisy department.  But then, I suppose it’s a whole different beastie in its way–ninety percent of Americans believe that texting while driving is a bad idea.

But only eight percent think it’s okay–it’s surprising there’s such a small percentage without an opinion one way or the other.  There’s slightly more support for this idea with the eighteen to twenty nine year old set, but even here, it’s still slight.  Only sixteen percent of that demographic believes that texting while driving is a bad idea, and that in and of itself is amazing.

There IS a margin of error here, but it’s only plus or minus three percent.  So assuming maximum error really doesn’t distract from the sheer overwhelming support this issue generates.

Tags: Driving, sending a text message, text message, Texting

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There will be times when drivers will be unable to drive their cars. It could be due to various reasons such as injuries, intoxication or some common defects that no one can really tell when. However thanks to technology, there is a new app called the Designated Driver for iPhones that should assist car drivers in any which way they can.

The Designated Driver iPhone app becomes a means of asking for help from friends or family members at times of dire need. Rather than risk being in a car accident, this is one app that should become a great lifesaver.

This unique iPhone app is one of the first such applications to allow a user to reach out to family, friends or a cab to request a ride when a designated driver becomes necessary. With a single push of a button on the iPhone screen you can send a text message to five or more of your friends simultaneously to request a ride.

(Source) Press

Tags: car accident, car drivers, Cars, dire need, family friends, family members, intoxication, iPhone, iphones, lifesaver, text message

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Isn’t it annoying to fall in line and wait for your turn before you can safely pay for your car parking when you are in a hurry? Well those days are over as far as car owners in AnnArbor, Sacramento and Texas is concerned. Verrus just made life easier for them with the Pay by Phone Parking technology installed to improve city station lots.

Now people driving cars no longer have to worry about long lines and parking violations while on the run. With the new mobile payment scheme, they can carry on and just settle the parking fees while on the go so that they will not run into delays or be late for appointments or even classes.

“Our students really like the text message reminders and the ability to add time from anywhere and avoid possible citations. In addition, this system has made things much more convenient for us to operate. We spend a lot less time maintaining pay machines and processing credit cards manually.”

(Source) Press

Tags: ann arbor, appointments, car owners, car parking, citations, credit cards, driving cars, hurry, mobile payment, parking technology, parking violations, payment scheme, sacrament, text message

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Teen driving can be reckless at times and as parents, we barely get to see this. Testing them by asking them to drive for you will not work since they will certainly be cautious and drive like rational drivers. But the real problem starts when you are no longer looking. But that was yesterday’s news.

Today, Zoombak makes teen drivers become more cautious. With their latest GPS tracking device, parents will be able to monitor their children’s driving habits and pinpoint where they are. The rising number of car accidents caused by teens has been a cause for concern and now thanks to Zoombak, another preventive measure may be able to help curb down these numbers.

How Zoombak speed tracking works:

• Following a quick over-the-air software update, Zoombak customers will be able to set up a speed threshold, (say 60 MPH) and receive alerts if that threshold is exceeded.
• Setting up a speed alert for an account at Zoombak.com is simple and fast, and users can choose to receive alerts by SMS text to their mobile device, or by email. Users can set the speed alert to be always on, or set on/off schedules around certain times of day.
• Zoombak determines the speed and direction (North, South, East, West) of the driver based on their location signal every 5 to 15 seconds.
• When conducting Find-Now searches at Zoombak.com, in addition to the regular current location information, the email or text message will now also automatically display both the speed and the direction the driver was heading. So even if automatic alerts are not set up, parents can still see on-demand how fast and which direction their teen was driving. Direction is displayed as North, South, East or West.
• The new “Speed” section of the Zoombak website provides Zoombak customers with more detailed instructions on setting up and getting the most out of the speed tracking feature.

(Source) Press

Tags: air software, car accidents, direction north, driving direction, email, gps tracking device, mobile device, more detailed instructions, news today, north south east west, parents, preventive measure, teen drivers, teen driving, text message, threshold, zoombak

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GPS Insight offers a new innovation in improving the navigation and tracking of vehicles with the added alerts option that can improve alertness via mobile devices of drivers.

These next-generation options go beyond the typical fleet management functionality and help customers precisely react to unexpected situations with their fleet, as well as notify drivers of the violation in real time via SMS text message or email to their phone.

A combination of speeding, idling, long stop, landmark visit, and odd-hours/weekend usage may now be used to custom tailor an exact alert for customers.

Highlights:

• Alert when drivers are at their home within work hours on weekdays
• Alert when excessive idling occurs except in known maintenance areas
• Send a driver an alert when they are speeding within known construction areas
• Alert for different speeds during different times of day such as daytime and nighttime
• Send a driver an alert when their vehicle moves from their home at night in case it is being stolen

The first GPS Insight customer to use these alerts reduced total idling from 42% to 27% within two months, saving 40,000 gallons of fuel and achieving tremendous ROI.

(Source) Press

Tags: landmark visit, mobile devices, next generation, text message, vehicle moves

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“@utoText”, a new texting tool that provides a full suite of cost-effective customer contact solutions to auto dealerships across the country, was named one of the top 10 cool technologies at NADA.

“@utoText” gives service departments the ability to text their customers when their vehicle has been repaired. The communication tool also allows the service department to text customers for approval of repair orders, to send status updates and to send appointment reminders.

Through a simple hosted portal, dealers have easy access to build a database of opt-in text message subscribers. By directly communicating with their customers — and nearly guaranteeing an impression of that message — dealerships can enhance their customer experience during the service appointment lifecycle.

(Source) Press

Tags: auto dealerships, communication tool, cool technologies, easy access, text message

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