Smartphone sensor to reduce driving accidents

Japanese communication company KDDI has partnered with Toyota Motor Corporation and food and beverage company Komeda in the release of a smartphone application called Driving Barista. The app aims to reduce the number of traffic accidents in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, which has had the highest number of traffic fatalities in the country for 13 consecutive years.

In 2015 alone, there were 50,101 arrests in the prefecture involving the use of smartphones while driving. Furthermore, approximately 60% of survey respondents said they use their smartphones while driving, with approximately half of these respondents keeping only one hand on the steering wheel. These high figures indicate the importance of reducing smartphone usage in the prefecture.

Driving Barista can only be used within Aichi Prefecture. By utilising the gyro sensor to sense the tilt of the smartphone body, and the GPS to determine the distance driven, the app measures the distance the driver has driven while leaving the smartphone facedown. When the cumulative distance reaches 100 km, the driver can receive a coupon for a cup of blended or iced coffee at a Komeda Coffee Shop.

“We have already been carrying out educational activities to prevent the use of smartphones while driving, and we hope that this initiative between the three companies will help solve the problem facing Aichi Prefecture,” said Akira Dobashi, director in charge of CSR and environment at KDDI. “We developed the Driving Barista smartphone application as a fun way to help prevent traffic accidents. We hope to contribute to accident prevention by providing a new experience for drivers.”

The app will be available for use between 20 September and 6 October.