This comes after a new poll of North American fleet managers conducted by Aegis Mobility.
However, Aegis argues that, while the poll shows that fleet managers are aware of the issues posed by staff using mobiles at the wheel, additional technical safeguards are necessary to improve safety.
Sprint and Aegis Mobility teamed up to develop FleetSafer distracted driving application that they claim can help businesses, commercial fleet owners and operators focus on driving. FleetSafer is software for mobile devices that auto-activates once the vehicle is in motion, preventing texting, emailing and browsing, but still enabling hands-free phone conversations.
It is designed to help companies comply with the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) rules for interstate truck and bus drivers and mobile phone use.
IH Services, a South Carolina-based janitorial company, has rolled out the driving software. “We currently use FleetSafer in more than 100 vehicles,” said CEO Ryan Hendley. “FleetSafer encourages our employees to use their cell phones in a responsible manner and helps our company reduce risk and manage liability.”
Sprint has developed the application for platforms including BlackBerry and Android smartphones and tablets. Aegis Mobility announced they will make FleetSafer available to users of Kyocera feature phones with Sprint Direct Connect by the end of Q1.
