Called Driving Barista, the application is aimed at motorists in Aichi Prefecture, which has become infamous for having the highest road fatalities in Japan. This is the first traffic safety initiative in Japan involving a smartphone application, which is to be carried out and jointly promoted by an automobile company, a communication company, and a food and beverage company.
The Driving Barista application can only be used within the prefecture. By using the gyro sensor to sense the tilt of the smartphone body, and the GPS to determine the distance driven, the application measures the distance the driver has driven while leaving the smartphone face down. When the cumulative distance reaches 100 km, the driver can receive a coupon for a cup of blended or iced coffee at a Komeda Coffee Shop.
According to one survey, 60% of respondents said they use their smartphones while driving, with half of these respondents keeping only one hand on the steering wheel. Therefore, the companies hope that the new application will raise drivers' awareness about not using smartphones while driving.
For 13 years, Aichi Prefecture has had the highest rate of traffic fatalities in Japan. In 2015 alone, there were 44,3691 traffic accidents which resulted in injuries or deaths. Furthermore, there were also 50,1011 arrests involving the use of smartphones while driving, and the increase in violations of this nature has also intensified the problem.
This high figure is indicative of the importance to reduce the large number of traffic accidents in the prefecture. In response, 10 Nagoya-based media companies have come together to work towards the goal of making the prefecture's roads safer under the banner of the "AICHI: No Longer the Worst" project, which began on Aug 2. Toyota and telco KDDI are also sponsors of this project.
Toyota, Komeda, and KDDI will begin their own joint project in tandem with the Japanese government's 2016 Autumn Traffic Safety Campaign from Sept 21-30. The companies will promote traffic safety in Aichi Prefecture through an educational initiative.
(Video in Japanese but you will get the drift)
