A Sacramento startup company has created an app that is geared toward enabling the public to get paid for reporting distracted drivers to law enforcement. The startup has been accepted into the 500 Startups business accelerator program according to Bizjournals.com.
Text to Ticket has created an app that allows users to submit footage of people who are texting and driving. Users who see someone texting and driving use their phones to record video of the person texting and driving along with their license plate number.
How the App Works
This video is then turned over to the company that reviews the footage and sends it out to local police. Users whose footage is approved will get $5 as a reward for reporting the distracted driver. Those who submit the footage must be a car passenger or walking. The CEO of the company said the app was born after a texting driver nearly ran him and his friends over.
The company has paid out more than $2,000 for the 600 videos that have been shared through the app so far. This app comes at a time when a California law took effect prohibiting cell phone users from holding their phones while driving. Violators are subject to a base fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense.
Distracted Driving in California
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), 80 percent of car accidents in the state involve some type of driver inattention. Up to 3,000 people nationwide are killed in car accidents where driver distractions are involved. Talking on a cell phone or texting is the number one source of driver distractions. Texting takes your eyes off the road for an average of five seconds, far enough to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph. Researchers say that even the act of talking on a cell phone (hands-free) can give you what is known as “inattention blindness.” What his essentially means is that your brain is not picking up what is right before your eyes because your attention is on something else.
Tips to Avoid Distracted Driving
Here are a few steps you can take to prevent distractions and inattention while driving:
- Do not text and drive under any circumstances.
- Turn your phone off when you get behind the wheel.
- Do not text or call someone when you know they are likely to be driving.
- Do not eat or drink while driving.
- Don’t program your GPS or radio while driving.
- Do not groom or apply makeup while driving.
- Make a pact with your children or those who care for your children that they will never drive while texting.
Remember, if you have been injured by a distracted driver in Sacramento you can seek compensation for your injuries, damages and losses. You may be able to seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. Contact Demas Law Group P.C., at (916) 444-0100 for a free, comprehensive and confidential consultation.
