5 Mobile Apps to Enhance Your Driving Experience

As roadways become busier and more congested, ensuring a safe and stress-free driving experience seems to be going the way of the horse and buggy. Throw in rising gas prices, traffic delays, and crazy drivers into the mix, and it’s a wonder how you ever agreed to accept that first driver’s permit.

Thankfully, mobile app technology is making the driving world a safer, more efficient place for commuters and road-trippers alike. By implementing these mobile applications into your daily drive or cross-country trip your chances of arriving at your final destination in one piece (and for a few dollar less) will only improve.

Safely Go

In 2011, nearly 1/4 of all car crashes took place while one or more of the drivers was using a cell phone. Texting while driving (or, driving while in-text-icated) has become such a widespread problem, that many states are outlawing the practice.

One way to safeguard yourself from the temptation of texting while driving is by downloading Safely Go. This mobile app frees you from distraction by automatically sending a custom message to anybody trying to get a hold of you while you’re driving. If you do need to talk on the phone while you’re en route, you can reserve three VIP spots for your spouse, boss, or other important people in your life.

Waze Navigation

If you’re like most people, you hate driving around, well, most people. This is only amplified when you encounter road work and rush hour traffic. But what if you could work with your fellow commuters maybe 50 million of them, to help keep the traffic moving and everybody happy?

Waze Navigation provides just such a network of people. Users in any location can contribute important traffic information, such as accidents, hazards, cheap gas prices, road closures, and more. This information in turn allows Waze to provide you with the shortest, fastest route available; with Waze, you’ll not only beat the traffic, but you’ll also save a little cash in the process.

ParkMe

In addition to driving, finding decent parking can also be a stressful and costly experience. In particularly crowded areas, not only are you forced to stake out parking spaces like a shark, but you also need to compete with dozens of other sharks once a space opens up. Often, if you want a secure space, you’ll need to pay for it, and this can cost anywhere from 50 cents at the parking meter to $10 plus tip at a valet parking garage.

The ParkMe app helps solve this problem by providing you with live updates on the closest and cheapest available parking, as well as any time limits associated with a particular space. Moreover, it doesn’t just tell you where available spots are; ParkMe also provides step-by-step driving directions to prime locations.

Trapster

Even if you have not been caught in a highway patrol speed trap, chances are you’ve seen it happen to someone else. Those of us who like to drive a little faster than average hate dealing with that nagging fear of being pulled over. Plus, the cost associated with a speeding ticket is more than just the ticket price—repeated hits on your driving record can easily increase your insurance premiums as well.

With Trapster, you can be kept in the loop on where police have set up speed traps, as well as the locations of speed and red-light cameras. These traps are displayed on a live map, and with around 14 million users worldwide, staying informed has never been easier.

Aviva Drive

Most of us think we’re pretty good drivers, but all of us have different standards for measuring a “good” driving performance. For some of us, the bar is set as low as not getting in a major accident; for others, it’s never being late (by whatever means necessary). If the last time you’ve been graded on your driving ability was when you were 16, how can you know if you’re really doing well behind the wheel?

Aviva drive uses GPS tracking along with your smartphone’s accelerometer to measure and quantify your driving performance. Braking time, acceleration, and cornering are all factored into your performance rating, which is on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best). An added bonus for those insured with Aviva is that higher overall driving scores can actually lower your premiums by up to 20%!

Using the right mobile app technology will create a safer, cheaper, and more enjoyable drive no matter how long you’re in the car. So even if you don’t drive a BMW, you don’t need the ultimate driving machine to have the ultimate driving experience.

<a href=“https://plus.google.com/u//u/0/10783881522874263103/posts?rel=author”>Connor Adkins</a> Connor Adkins is a mechanic and loves working on classic cars. He also occasionally writes for El Monte Honda dealerships. Connor helps people stay healthy and fit, and enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.