Sprint and Aegis Mobility help commercial fleet managers address distracted driving
You may focus on driving while you are behind the wheel, but it is not always easy to ensure your employees are doing the same. This issue has prompted 81 percent of employers to adopt written policies defining acceptable use of mobile phones while driving (Source: Aegis Mobility, FMCSA Survey 2012). But policies alone are not enough; companies need to proactively enforce their policies. Sprint and Aegis Mobility have teamed to offer the FleetSafer distracted driving application to help businesses, commercial fleet owners and operators focus on driving.
FleetSafer is software for mobile devices that can help drivers avoid certain distractions. The software auto-activates once the vehicle is in motion, preventing texting, emailing and browsing, yet still enabling hands-free phone conversations. It also helps companies comply with the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) rules for interstate truck and bus drivers and mobile phone use.
IH Services, a Greenville, S.C.-based janitorial company, provides clean working environments for industrial, commercial, distribution, healthcare and institutional clients throughout the United States and has a long history of initiating innovative programs to reduce accidents in the workplace through its "Safety is Our #1 Priority" program.
"We currently use FleetSafer in more than 100 vehicles," said Ryan Hendley - CEO, IH Services, Inc. "FleetSafer encourages our employees to use their cell phones in a responsible manner and helps our company reduce risk and manage liability. FleetSafer has been so successful that we intend to make it available to other companies, through our association with the National Service Alliance (NSA) and Sprint."
Sprint has been a leading provider of fleet solutions for more than three decades, and has made this solution available in leading handsets and tablets, 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. FleetSafer is part of Sprint's portfolio of distracted driving solutions and resources available for businesses. To support customers growing needs for data, Sprint is rolling out its Network Vision initiative, designed to provide faster data speeds, improved voice quality and easier connectivity. Sprint expects to be mostly complete with Network Vision by the end of 2013.
To learn more about Sprint's Focus on Driving efforts and for information about the portfolio of distracted driving mobile applications and resources available from Sprint for businesses and consumers, visit www.sprint.com/drive.
"Distracted driving is a critical issue that Sprint is committed to helping combat," said John Dupree, senior vice president of business sales - Sprint. "Technology can play a huge role in helping businesses reinforce policies, minimize risk and make it easy for their employees to focus on driving. We're proud to team with Aegis Mobility to make FleetSafer more broadly available through our direct sales team and offer commercial drivers the tools they need to operate more effectively and efficiently and to avoid distracted driving."
"Corporate interest in enterprise solutions to ensure responsible use of mobile phones while driving is growing," said Paul Zimmerman, CEO - Aegis Mobility. "Distracted driving is an issue that cannot be ignored. Businesses are looking to reduce the potential risks associated with employee distracted driving and now Sprint can deliver a solution to help employers address this important issue."
