Modus-Cellcontrol UBI Solution Tackles Distracted Driving Head-on

By Mini Swamy
TMCnet Contributor

Mobile devices have become more popular, hands-free devices are on the rise, technology has brought entertainment right into vehicles, the Internet has powered itself onto the dashboard, but all this is posing a serious and growing threat to road safety. The woes of distracted driving continue, shouldn’t we be concerned?

Modus, a full service provider of insurance telematics solutions and Cellcontrol, touted as the world's leading technology to stop distracted driving, apparently are, for they decided to get together to proactively combat distracted driving for usage based Insurance (UBI) participants.

"By integrating with Modus' full-service UBI solution, we have greater access to existing insurance programs and can reach more drivers, which in turns saves lives," said Robert Guba, CEO of Cellcontrol.

The UBI offering, now available to all Modus and Cellcontrol customers for both consumer and commercial insurance programs, is tacking the problem of distracted driving slightly differently – by preventing activities that lead to accidents and fatalities. Its aim is to protect drivers and their families when behind the wheel.

"UBI solutions today are primarily focused on functions that are uninteresting to the average driver. They may get a discount, but little-to-no help when it comes to improving their or their teenagers' driving behavior," said Nathan George, vice president of Technology at Modus.

What the Modus-Cellcontrol solution does is to prevent activities that lead to accidents and fatalities. It informs the drivers of risky behavior, blocks access to texting and other distracting applications all in real-time, without affecting the battery life of their devices. It is powered by patented non-pairing Bluetooth technology. In short, it prevents drivers from using their phones inappropriately.

So is this a game changer for drivers and insurance companies? Brandon Johnson, CEO at Modus believes so, for according to him, the solution is about the positive impact that it has on public safety, families and the economy.

Bans, fines, legislation in some states, crusades against distracted driving, leveraging the media to educate the drivers, developing effective programs and policies ---all these continue, but so does distracted driving. Can Modus and Cellcontrol succeed where others have failed?