OneTap app can help stop distracted driving

By Sonya Davidson

If you've ever felt the urge to pick up your phone while you're driving to "just answer a quick call" or text someone fast this app may be an important tool to keep you from being distracted. OneTap is like having a personal assistant. It will respond to emails and messages for you sending out an automatic message to the sender to let them know that you're driving and cannot respond immediately. Smart!

Distracted driving - which includes texting, calling or emailing behind the wheel is a major cause of accidents while on the road. Recent studies have shown that distracted driving contributes to 80 per cent of all car crashes across the country. 

While the provinces and territories have enacted laws to restrict the use of hand-held devices in vehicles we still see people on their phones anyway. So, it's not enough. 

Calgary based company AppColony has created this app (currently available for Android phones, and supported by Co-operators Group) to help stop distracted driving. 

Yes, you could turn off your phone completely. But the reality is most people just can’t resist the temptation to turn on and check in.

“We’re addicted to our phones – and that’s not going to change,” explains Ted Hellard, AppColony founder. “The AppColony team created OneTap to allow Canadians to drive without distractions while, through the power of technology, allowing them to stay connected to their friends, families, co-workers and clients. According to the OneTap Distracted Driving survey conducted by Insights Matter, 91% of Canadians feel it is important to address distracted driving and 59% feel technology will help reduce the problem, so we know OneTap is addressing an urgent need in our society.”

Acting as your ‘personal assistant’ on the go, OneTap uses the built-in GPS on your phone to know when you’re in a vehicle and driving. Once you get going, OneTap is automatically enabled, blocking out pings, rings and other notifications that pull our attention away the road. Unlike other solutions on the market though, when a text comes in, OneTap doesn’t just block the alert. Instead, its Auto-Reply function replies to calls and texts immediately, letting people know that you’re driving and when you expect to be finished. One2One™ urgent connect technology notifies you when there’s an urgent message, allowing you to pull over and safely respond.

If someone is trying to reach you by calling your phone, the caller will immediately be routed through your vehicle’s Bluetooth system or to your voicemail where OneTap will let them know you’re driving. Knowing that OneTap is responding on your behalf significantly relieves the nervous anxiety that all too often results in making a poor, dangerous decision. Once you’ve reached your destination, the app gives you a quick summary of all the incoming calls and messages you’ve missed so you can respond quickly.

OneTap also helps to create peace-of-mind by providing an optional enhanced real-time connection to the ones we love. When you connect to friends and family through OneTap, you will be able to see where your loved ones are and if they are driving. There is no need to worry or wonder where your loved ones are or if they are safely on their way home, you’ll know. Privacy settings within the app can be adjusted to ensure information is only shared with individuals selected by the user.