Business Related Distracted Driving News

We all know the sorrow and pain texting while driving can bring to families and friends well, if you’re are looking a secure way to protect against friends or family texting whilst driving the solution is here. We have a new high-quality device called the ORIGOsafe (these are the inventions that make me smile).

A Roanoke County company has created a new device to improve driving safety.

"It is called, "ORIGOSafe," and works as an ignition interlock system that requires drivers to place their phone on a docking station before their car can start...[Distracted driving is] a problem we all face, so to be part of a solution to that is a good feeling..." 

Contacts:      

Cheryl Lynch

ORIGO™ Director of Sales and Marketing 

540-353-5652  

[email protected]                                                                                           

Cathy Gillen                               

Highway Safety Media Consultant

443-463-4449

[email protected]

Technology launched to prevent deadly habit of

handheld cell phone use while driving

ORIGOSafe™ prevents motorists from starting vehicles until phone is docked

WASHINGTON, DC (March 12, 2013) – With texting while driving and other forms of handheld cell phone use behind the wheel continuing to be a leading killer on U.S. roads, ORIGO™ today launched a technology designed to end this deadly epidemic.

ORIGOSafe™ is a new ignition interlock system that requires drivers to secure their phone in a docking station before their vehicle can start.  This prevents motorists from holding their phones to talk or text while behind the wheel. 

“ORIGOSafe™ was developed to give parents and safety managers peace of mind, knowing that their drivers are safe and focused on the road, and aren’t a danger to themselves or others,” said Clay Skelton of Roanoke, VA, ORIGO’s™ founder.  “With highway deaths seemingly on the rise, particularly among teens, it’s clear that the concern for safety isn’t enough to stop this deadly driving behavior.  There has to be an outside force to incite change.”

“By taking the phone out of the driver’s hands – but not preventing making and receiving calls – ORIGO™ can reduce crashes, increase safety and improve the performance of drivers, said Skelton.  “ORIGOSafe™ takes away the temptation to reach for the phone while driving.”

Teenagers are overrepresented in traffic crashes and are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - NHTSA).  “The high crash-involvement rate for this age group is caused primarily by their lack of maturity and driving experience coupled with their overconfidence and risk-taking behaviors, including texting and other forms of distracted driving,” said Sandy Spavone, Executive Director of National Organizations for Youth Safety.

Teens and other young adults are particularly susceptible to distractions caused by their electronic devices.   Sixteen percent of all drivers under age 20 involved in fatal crashes in 2009 were reported to have been distracted while driving (NHTSA).  And, according to an AT&T survey, 97 percent of teens say texting while driving is highly dangerous, yet 75 percent of them say it’s common among their peers. 

“Changing the mindset of young drivers to understand the dangers of texting while driving is essential to lowering the high teen crash rate and saving lives,” said Spavone.  “Adults must model the right behavior and provide resources such as ORIGOSafe™ that take the phone out of the driver’s hands completely, so that both hands remain on the wheel and both eyes on the road, where they belong.”

Amanda Kloehr is a young driver who knows first-hand the dangers of distracted driving.  At age 20, she was seriously injured in a car crash in 2008 when she was distracted and slammed her car into the back of a tractor trailer.  “Whatever you have to do can wait,” said Kloehr who has had more than 20 surgeries to rebuild her face and replace her right eye.  “Nothing is more important when you are behind the wheel than keeping your focus on driving.  Technologies like ORIGOSafe™ are an excellent way to prevent other drivers from being distracted and sparing them the pain that I have had to bear.”

According to the National Safety Council, 100,000 crashes per year involve drivers who are texting, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that texting while driving causes 11 teen deaths every day.  It is for these reasons that Meg Carter, a Roanoke, VA mother of two college-age girls, is installing ORIGOSafe™ in all her family’s vehicles.  “As a wife and mother, nothing is more important to me than protecting my family and ensuring their safety,” said Carter.  “I know my daughters will sometimes be tempted to make unsafe choices, but having the ORIGOSafe™ technology in their cars will help to eliminate something I worry a lot about and provide me peace of mind.  When my family gets behind the wheel, they will be reminded how much I love them and care about their safety.

A study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that, “Talking or listening on a cell phone … did not statistically increase crash risk.  Dialing, reaching, and other intensive visual-manual cell phone sub-tasks did.”  The same study said that texting takes drivers’ eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.  At 55 mph, this is the same as driving the length of a football field blind-folded.

That’s why ORIGO™ allows drivers to stay connected hands-free through Bluetooth and other technologies, yet takes the phone completely out of the driver’s hands.

“As a socially conscious company, ORIGO™  wants to elevate the awareness of the dangers of texting and driving and show how we can all work together to eliminate this dangerous practice from our roads today,” said Cheryl Lynch, Director of Sales and Marketing for ORIGO™.

To this end, ORIGO™ has established a “SafePartner” program, especially for schools and other local, community-based organizations.  ORIGO™ “SafePartners” are provided with information such as statistics, marketing materials, videos, posters, and other content to educate and spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving, and the ORIGO™ solution.  In addition, “SafePartners” are provided with a unique code that anyone can use in the purchase of an ORIGOSafe™.   For every purchase in which the group’s code is entered at checkout, ORIGO™ donates 5 percent of the sale back to that organization as a fundraiser.

“The ‘SafePartners’ program is a win-win for everyone involved,” said Lynch.  “As part of this program, we all work together to stop texting and driving and organizations are able to raise money to continue to educate and fight the battle against distracted driving.”

Commercial Applications:

ORIGO™ also comes in a version to improve safety among commercial drivers.    

In November of 2011, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a final rule banning the use of hand-held cell phones for all commercial drivers. 

FMCSA research shows that using a hand-held cell phone while driving requires a commercial driver to take several risky steps beyond what is required for using a hands-free mobile phone, including searching and reaching for the phone.  Commercial drivers reaching for an object, such as a cell phone, are three times more likely to be involved in a crash or other safety-critical event.  Dialing a hand-held cell phone makes it six times more likely that commercial drivers will be involved in a crash or other safety-critical event.

The ORIGOSafe™ is accompanied by ORIGOCommand™, an iPad-based fleet management package.  ORIGOCommand™ allows administrators to manage multiple fleets at multiple locations and restrict truck usage to an easily manageable list of authorized drivers.

The system includes “Parking Brake Functionality” so the phone can be used when the parking brake is engaged.   This is designed for commercial vehicles whose drivers spend considerable amounts of time idling, and don’t want to turn off their vehicles to save money. 

With several large companies having already faced costly lawsuits, ORIGOSafe™ provides an opportunity for employers to significantly reduce their liability.

ORIGO™ is now available for both fleets and families, and works with the leading smartphones.

Additional Product Information:

• ORIGOSafe™ is easily installed in any type of vehicle, and is a fully integrated device that supports the top-selling smart phone models.  There’s no software to buy or maintain, and no need to wonder if it’s working;
• Each system has an administrator, ie: a parent or employer, who can configure all settings through a keypad on the ORIGOSafe™ or with the iPad app.;
• Because the vehicle won’t start without an authorized phone in place, ORIGOSafe™ serves as an ideal theft deterrent;
• If the phone is removed from the ORIGOSafe™ docking station, an alarm will sound and the light on the unit turns red.  Once the phone is put back in, the alarm stops, but the next time the driver goes to start the car, they will be “locked out” and need to call the administrator/parent to be re-authorized, or obtain a one-time use code to get back in;
• ORIGOSafe™ also charges the phone while in the docking station, ensuring that the phone is always ready to be used when needed;
• ORIGOSafe™ for families is available for purchase for $279 plus installation through the website www.DriveOrigo.com.   For commercial sales, please contact Cheryl [email protected].

Company Information:

• ORIGO™ is a Virginia based company and ORIGOSafe™ is designed, manufactured and assembled in the USA, using as many local suppliers as possible.

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