Massachusetts based Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), a specialist in mobile telematics and behavioural analytics, has launched a public app to make its Safest Driver platform available to all drivers. The company says that trials have shown its “Safest Driver” app reduces phone distraction and other risky driving behaviours by almost half in as little as 30 days.

Uber and Progressive Insurance are sponsoring the first contest using the Safest Driver platform. CMT’s three-month Safest Driver contest for Uber drivers in Austin, Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham will coincide with the launch of the Safest Driver platform. 

Prior prize-based contests hosted in Boston, Seattle, San Antonio and Los Angeles showed drivers who participated reduced their risky driving behaviours like phone distraction, speeding, and hard braking by up to 57%.

Major municipalities that have worked with CMT to host a contest have seen several benefits, including safer driving on their streets, reaching public safety goals by reducing crashes, and identifying dangerous intersections ready for safety infrastructure improvements.

The public release means that any organisation can host Safest Driver contests, not just municipalities. The participating drivers in Safest Driver contests also receive several benefits, including feedback on driving behaviour to quickly improve safety, a way to encourage family and friends to become safer drivers, safer streets in their local community, and the chance to win prizes for safe driving.

“We’ve been giving drivers the resources and tools they need to improve their driving behaviour since day one,” said Bill Powers, Chief Executive Officer of CMT. “With the release of our Safest Driver platform, we’re continuing our work with major partners and cities to dramatically improve safety on the roads.”