A Lansing-developed app that can prevent texting and driving is expanding across platforms and markets as people look to keep drivers focused on the road and not on their mobile devices.
Developed by PNP Technologies and
Tucknologies,
Thumb Tied senses when the user of a mobile device is driving and blocks incoming texts, calls, emails and other notifications. Drivers can still access up to three emergency contacts and 911. When the user is done driving, the app shuts down, allowing the smart phone user to see missed notifications and messages. And since the app works with Blue Tooth, drivers can use navigation features as long as commands are voice activated and hands-free.
"Parents love it," says Waylon Sanford who came up with the concept for Thumb Tied with his business partner Kevin Karpinski. "But my personal point in developing the app was to get the trust of teens."
Thumb Tied can be downloaded for free from Google Play for Android as well as the parent's pairing feature for a small fee. Sanford says the app averages about three to five downloads a day since its inception in 2013, and has been downloaded on all continents except for Antarctica.
PNP is currently working on a corporate package for fleet and company drivers, with a release slated for late summer 2015. Plans are also in the works to develop a version for the iPhone, as well an in-dash apps for new cars.
While marketing of Thumb Tied has been limited to Lansing and social media, PNP is working with
Michigan Creative and LEAP to push the campaign down the I-96 corridor in 2015. Sanford and Karpinski are also networking with grassroots organizations like
Focus Driven and
People Against Distracted Driving to build awareness on the harms of distracted driving.
"Our new campaign is 'just drive'," says Sanford. "A lot of the messaging around distracted driving is based on scare tactics. Our hope is to take away the negatives and just focus on the pure positives of driving."
Source: Waylon Sanford, Chief Operating Officer, Thumb Tied
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
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