Blackberry Outage Reduces Driving Accidents, Saves Lives: Technology Glitch Illuminates the Need for Safe Driving Apps Like Securafone

Hermosa Beach, CA, October 28, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Mobile technology has given us the ability to be more productive, communicate easier and be more independent than ever before, but it has also created a life endangering environment when mobile phones are used while driving. Statistics and real-life incidents have proven time and again that parameters need to be set to protect mobile phone users behind the wheel. SecuraTrac®, a dynamic provider of personal location and safety services, announced the release of a new solution, a mobile application called SecuraFoneTM.

The latest product offering from SecuraTrac®, SecuraFoneTM is built to save lives by reducing distracted driving and transforming mobile phones into personal safety devices. SecuraFone, in addition to preventing the use of distracting communication technologies while moving, also harnesses the power of GPS technology to mitigate the potential for emergency situations by enabling advanced location services.

SecuraFone provides a powerful safety option for employers, parents of teenage children and caretakers of seniors. SecuraFone connects families and protects employees through location updates, emergency response features, and distracted driver features.

During the recent Blackberry outage driving accidents in the United Arab Emirates were virtually eliminated as described in this excerpt from DailyTech.com.

“According to police in the United Arab Emirates, the inability to text or read emails during the BlackBerry outage last week led to less traffic accidents in the area.

“Traffic accidents in Abu Dhabi decreased by 40 percent last week, and a 20 percent drop occurred in Dubai. Lt Gen Khalfan Tamiim, the chief of Dubai Police, and Brig Gen Hussein Al Harethi, director of the Abu Dhabi Police traffic department, said that the decrease in traffic accidents is attributed to the BlackBerry outage that began Monday, October 10.

“'Absolutely nothing has happened in the past week in terms of killings on the road and we're really glad about that,' said Harethi. 'People are slowly starting to realize the dangers of using their phone while driving. The roads became much safer when BlackBerry stopped working.'”

When there are no outages to protect drivers from themselves, a safe driving solution is essential. SecuraFone offers a powerful safety solution that automatically tracks and reports locations with more than 6 alert types including speed, SOS, and SecuraFence alerts. It does this while also disabling distracting technologies while in motion. Some of SecuraFone’s features include:

· Distracted Driver – GPS detects speed of the mobile device user, preventing the use of email, social networking apps and text messaging functions when moving faster than 5 MPH.
· SOS Button (Slide) – Once SecuraFone is loaded on a mobile device an SOS button (a slide bar) is created for the device. By sliding the bar or pressing a button, the mobile user can instantly send an alert via email and/or text message to all of their emergency contacts. In addition, an emergency phone call is placed to the primary emergency contact which can be updated by the account owner.
· SecuraFences – An unlimited number of virtual borders can be created for select mobile phones. Anytime a border is crossed (by entry or exit), the account holder and other designated contacts are sent an alert via email and/or text message. All alert messages include a street address and a link to turn-by-turn directions to that location.
· Speed Alerts – For select mobile phones a speed setting controlled by the account owner the SecuraFone app can alert designated contacts via email and/or text message if that speed threshold is exceeded. All alert messages include a street address and a link to turn-by-turn directions to that location.
· Secure Web-based Platform – even tech savvy kids cannot get around this app. Parents have access to all settings via a password-protected web account that can be monitored and adjusted at anytime.

SecuraFone is currently available for iPhone® and Android® phones and is free to download with an $8.99 monthly fee. SecuraFone can be downloaded by visiting the SecuraFone website or through your mobile device’s app store. A SecuraFone application is also being developed for Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. For more information please visit www.securafone.com.

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