The choice of safe driving is now about Reward Vs Reproach
If the thought of endangering other lives isn’t enough to rein in the urge to use your phone while driving, perhaps that of losing out of some juicy rewards might. Many apps reward you for keeping away from your phone while driving. These apps inspire a special kind of loyalty from their ever-increasing user-base, helping users arrive at their destination with much less guilt, and empowering them to stay focused behind the wheel.
In this article, we’ve put together an overview of four apps that reward you for driving safely. They’re all available on both Android and iOS platforms.
Four apps that pay you to drive safely
These days, your phone and plan serve bigger purposes than keeping in touch via calls and texts — smartphones have turned into money-making devices. In a perfect world, safe driving won’t require any motivation. But this isn’t a perfect world, so why not reward the perfect drivers instead. There are apps out there that do just that — here’s a list of four that you should definitely take a look at.
1. OnMyWay
A brainchild of patriots Chloe Palmer and Courtney Pereless, OnMyWay is a free app that pays you for driving with your phone screen locked throughout the way. It doles out 5 cents for every mile completed while your smartphone’s screen stays locked, and sends the cash to your PayPal, Venmo, or even directly to bank account.
Users can also choose to convert the cash rewards into gift cards. You’ll be paid with the revenues that the developers generate from sponsors and advertisers who use the app to send out their special offers and discounts.
The app tracks both your phone’s screen activities and your driving speed with a special technology that detects speeds above 10 – 12 mph. Keep your speeds in check and you can rest assured that you’ll be rewarded for every single mile you cover while your phone’s screen stays locked. Don’t worry, you can still make and receive calls through Bluetooth while the screen is locked.
Besides its highly precise tracking technology, the app is also “100-percent encrypted”, providing tight end-to-end security to ensure that no one can cheat the system and, most importantly, that all user information is completely secured. This means you won’t have to worry about your location, email address, credit card details, and other personal information falling into the hands of third parties.
To begin accumulating rewards on the app, simply download it for free and install. The app will automatically activate once you start driving with speeds above 10 mph, disabling notifications. You also qualify for rewards when you refer your friends and loved ones to make money while they drive safely.
According to Palmer, the app currently has more than 900,000 active users. The creators also claim that, so far, some 15 lives have been saved and 2,962 car accidents have been averted thanks to the app.
2. HyperDrive
HyperDrive is a product of ConnectedTravel’s goal of making the world a safer place by dealing with one driver at a time, one trip at a time. It is designed to make safe driving fun and rewarding for drivers. The app offers a wide range of rewards for driving safely, including gas, movie tickets, coffee, and more.
To use the app, simply download and install it on your smartphone. The app automatically tracks your location and detects when you’re on the move, recording your phone activities and driving speed. Once you arrive at your destination, the phone uses the stats recorded throughout the journey to calculate your rewards.
With HyperDrive, you don’t need to drive perfectly to earn substantial rewards; the app still rewards you generously for every attempt you make to drive safely. The three main stats used to calculate your reward include:
- Speed,
- Rate of hard breaking, and
- Your phone handling.
There are many other ways to earn rewards, including:
- Responding to audio alerts from the app for dangerous intersections and school areas;
- Completing certain challenges;
- Squaring off with other drivers on a leaderboard; and
- Using the app during the day.
You’re also liable to earn more points the higher the membership you choose. Memberships come in bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.
HyperDrive rewards come in the form of gift cards. Every 1000 points qualifies you for a $5 gift card, which can be used in over 45 brand stores, including Dominos, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Groupon, AMC, CVS, and more.
The app also comes with state-of-the-art cyber-security for protecting user data. The creators only use your information to optimize the experience (p.s on a related note, check out how to go on about optimizing your productivity resources) and offer rewards that are best suited for you.
3. Safe2Save
Safe2Save rewards range from sumptuous meals to recreational treats, yoga classes, and more, for keeping your smartphone at bay while on the road. The app, which was launched in 2016, has over 70,000 users in the Houston, Texas area alone, where its creators are based.
The Safe2Safe app rewards you for safe diving in numerous ways
Users can simply download the Safe2Save app, and then launch it when they begin driving to earn points. The Auto-On feature allows the app to launch automatically once the user cruises past 10 mph. The app also allows you to use Bluetooth powered functionalities like maps, music apps, and phone calls. There’s an orange “Open Maps” button on the app’s Points or Maps page that allows you to access your favorite map apps with a few clicks without getting flagged by the app.
Users earn 2 points for every minute they drive safely. There is a wide array of points-redeeming options for users to choose from. Currently, users can exchange their points for free a breakfast entrée at Dish Society, free chicken or free soup at Salata, free Big Mac or sausage burrito at McDonalds, and more. You can also accumulate more points by competing with your friends and loved ones.
The creators are always looking to expand the reward options. For instance, they’ve recently partnered with Memorial Hermann Life Flight, and launched a city-wide contest which gives users a chance to win a Disney Cruise for four or $5,000 cash.
4. SmartRide
To help you avoid distractions, keep to traffic rules, and stay sharp while driving, Nationwide’s SmartRide Mobile Program provides you with numerous incentives. You can win loads of discounts by staying focused while driving at moderate speeds. Users also get to view their driving trends as well as highly insightful personalized feedback from the app that can help them improve their safe driving. You can also view maps of your road trips.
Your discounts are estimated live as you’re driving, and the final figures are calculated at the end of a driving session.
Currently, the app is only available in 20 states in the United States, but more states will join in the nearest future.
Conclusion
With apps that reward you with cash to drive safely, the roads are bound to become safer. These four apps are the best safe driving reward apps that you should check out. You’ll be surprised by how the rewards can quickly add up if you stick to these apps throughout your journey. And you can also earn rewards from some of them even when you’re not driving — just sitting as a passenger.
