inthinc Adds Distracted Driving Prevention to its Driving Safety Solutions

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc. (www.inthinc.com), a company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety, today reinforced its commitment to preventing distracted driving by implementing cell phone and texting restrictions in both its commercial and consumer driving safety systems. inthinc announced new partnerships with industry leaders in cell and text detection at the Department of Transportation’s second annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C.

inthinc is incorporating technology to enable customers’ cell phones to automatically go into a “safe mode,” which restricts calls, texting or other applications while the vehicle is in motion. The technology integrates with the company’s customer portals where fleet managers and parents can monitor cell phone usage while a vehicle is in operation along with other driving behaviors such as speeding, aggressive driving and seatbelt usage. inthinc has selected CellControl and ZoomSafer, both industry leaders in cell and text detection and control as its technology partners. 

“Our customers have seen dramatic results in decreasing car accidents and traffic violations through real-time driver mentoring to eliminate speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors,” said Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc. “Now we are also addressing the most common distracted driving behaviors involving cell phones to help ensure an even higher level of driving safety.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 20 percent of all crashes in 2008 involved some type of distraction. Additional research from Virginia Tech shows that dialing a cell phone while driving increases the risk of a crash about six times and that drivers are 23 times more likely to crash if texting while driving. inthinc is extending the capabilities of its driving safety solutions to eliminate these risky activities while behind the wheel. The distracted driving features are expected to be available as part of inthinc’s solutions for commercial fleets and for teens in Q4 of this year. For more information about inthinc and its driving safety solutions, please visit www.inthinc.com.