keeping families safe while driving: safely go

Though our number one priority as parents is to keep our kids safe–all of the time–it boggles my mind the number of people I see looking at their phones while driving.

With kids in the car.

Two hands texting or searching or whatever.

Way back when Oprah was promoting her No Cell Phones While Driving campaign, you better believe I signed that baby.  It was, and is, still incredibly important that anyone driving my kids around does not even think about texting while behind the wheel.

It’s not legal. It’s not safe. And it’s insane to think that that is even an option for people anyway.

But with Bluetooth technology, I do chat while driving–as long as it’s hands-free.

Gulp. There. I said it. I know I am not alone.  And I try try try not to, but sometimes, it’s the only time I’m sitting down, and it’s the only time I have to chat with my sisters, parents, or girlfriends.

This New For Us Friday, I’m psyched to share something that a good friend of mine recently let me know about–an app that helps keep families safe while driving. It’s cool. It’s free.

I’ve been using it for weeks now.  And it’s helping me to stay focused on what’s important while driving.

Here’s the skinny. . .

• Keeping Families Safe While Driving–Safely Go: Safely Go is a little app that does big things.

It keeps your family safe on the road.  And it’s free. (Who doesn’t love free? And how can you not want safe?)

 

The Safely Go app is right there under my clock. Ready to go, safely!

The concept behind Safely Go is simple: you put your phone in ‘driving mode’ when you get in the car, and you’re ready to drive safely, focusing on the road like we all should be, while you’re behind the wheel.

When you activate Safely Go, you put your phone in ‘lock mode’ so anyone who texts you gets an auto reply message, and your phone will only accept calls from three designated VIP Contacts.

I love it because it reminds me to stay focused on the road. And yes, I’m embarrassed to say it, but if I’m alone and stuck in traffic, yes, I grab for my phone.  And even then, it’s not a smart idea.

 

my Safely Go driving mode screen: my VIP Contacts and two driving apps

While you’re in driving mode with Safely Go, you’ll only have access to your top 3 ‘driving apps’ on your screen, like your navigation or maps.  Of course, at any time, you can make an emergency call with the click of one button.

It’s more than cool. While you’re in the car, you move into driving mode. You’re focusing on the road and putting your phone aside.

This fancy little happy app is available for any android user–so everyone android wins here. It’s made by Location Labs who has a long history (more than a decade) of creating apps to promote families’ and kids’ safety and “digital wellness,” and these apps are available as subscription services, in partnership with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.  In fact, you may have been using these apps without knowing they were Safely products–AT&T FamilyMap, T-Mobile FamilyWhere, Sprint Mobile Controls, to name just a few.

So it’s a great company with a really great focus. I’ll take it.

That’s it–just a little New For Us Friday app that I think is totally worth sharing with parents, teachers, caregivers, any and every family out there.

fyi: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Safely Go. Though I was compensated for my time in reviewing and sharing the Safely Go love, as always, my thoughts are completely my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator and the three crazy cool kids I try to keep safe.