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SafeDrive app: Drive safely, earn rewards!

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Josée Paquet

Most drivers are fully aware of the dangers of using a hand-held phone behind the wheel, but many still don't do a damn thing about it and continue to talk or text while driving. Well, some incentives may help.

Already available in Europe, SafeDrive is finally hitting North America. Thanks to this new application, which you can download both from the App Store and Google Play, you earn points by not using your smartphone behind the wheel and by adopting safe driving habits. 

SafeDrive determines the number of points you can receive using a clever algorithm that calculates your travel distance, speed, and time stuck in traffic. If you check your phone at any time, you will lose your points for that particular commute.

Fun fact: As of May 17th, 2015, SafeDrive users have logged more than 4.5 million kilometres without using their phone!

Points are nice, but what can you do with them?
Through partnerships with a number of companies in various countries, the SafeDrive MarketPlace lets you redeem your points in the form of discounts on select merchandise items. The more points you earn, the more products you will be able to buy, so it actually pays off to drive safely and not use your smartphone behind the wheel. You will not only help make the roads safer, but also be rewarded with a coffee, a gift certificate, a digital camera or whatever you want from a partner company.

What if others helped you earn SafeDrive points? 
The SafeDrive app also gives you the opportunity to challenge other users all over the world to see who has the better and safer driving skills. Submit your best trip, and if you can beat your opponent, you will steal a percentage of their points. On the other hand, if you lose your safe-driving duel, you will have to relinquish some of the points you previously earned. I guess this could be a pretty good reason not to use your phone while driving, don't you think? 

Invite your friends to use the SafeDrive app
Furthermore, anyone can invite their friends to download the app and join the SafeDrive community. What's interesting here is that, as you invite more friends to join SafeDrive and improve road safety, the percentage of points you can lose will reduce. This makes accepting a challenge a bit easier.

For example, if you don't have friends on SafeDrive, losing a challenge will cost you 25% of your points. Get five of your friends to join, however, and the percentage will drop to 10%. With ten friends, it's just 5%.

A game every driver can play
Marketed as a “game,” the SafeDrive app is a great way to become a safer, more responsible driver – and see how much you can resist using your smartphone while driving. There's a friendly competition between users, and best of all, you can purchase discounted products with the points you earn. 

SafeDrive is free to download now from the App Store and Google Play.

Josée Paquet
Josée Paquet
Automotive expert