Driving with Ellis once shared a sobering fact: a quarter of car occupants who died were not wearing seat belts. The number, in fact, was the highest on record as indicated by the Government Casualty Figures for 2017. This fact is reflective of a bigger problem, and that is the number of drivers with poor driving habits. Due to the amount of bad driving on UK roads, The Telegraph wrote a guide to help drivers improve. The paper notes that drivers must strive to develop good driving habits, like staying within the speed limit and focusing on the road. And while it would help to have a driving expert guiding you every time you take the wheel, that is not possible. You can, however, get some high-tech help from apps that improve driving habits. Five of these apps are listed below: Flo Driving Insights Flo Driving Insights records all your trips, then gives feedback after each one. It’s basically like having a driving instructor right by your side at all times. It tells you if you are, among other things, speeding, braking too hard, accelerating effectively, and driving safely. Plus, it keeps a record of everything, too, which means you can review every journey. You’ll know what you’re good at and the areas you need to improve on. Gas Manager Bad driving habits can be expensive, especially if it is causing you to spend more on fuel. Verizon Connect in their feature on fuel efficiency explain how “harsh driving can increase fuel bills by up to 33%”. Gas manager allows drivers to record their fuel consumption during each trip and see how much it has cost. Often, all it takes is a few tweaks to start saving money. Users can examine graphs and charts on the app that show where they consumed the most fuel. The app is also ideal for those with multiple vehicles as it can track more than one car. Shotgun The rewards-and-punishment paradigm has been around forever, and the Shotgun app taps into that model. Metro explains that the app scores different elements of the user’s driving and then gives feedback. The accumulated points, in turn, allows the driver to get rewards in the form of free items from partner brands like Pizza Express, Starbucks, and Virgin Experience Day. It is specifically aimed for demographic younger drivers and lasts until the 1,000-mile mark. Dangers of Distracted Driving Sometimes, what you need are reminders of what can happen on the road. That is exactly what Dangers of Distracted Driving sets out to accomplish. It presents hypothetical scenarios that you can encounter on the road, and the consequences of your succeeding actions. The app’s focus is to educate drivers on the dangers of distracted driving. This is a good tool to help drivers continually stay sharp. TrueMotion Family TrueMotion Family is unlike the previous four apps in that someone else uses it. That person monitors your driving habits through the app. Each trip is tracked, and scored accordingly (the highest being 100). Poor driving habits can therefore be caught, and the driver can be informed as soon as possible. This is ideal for parents who want to ensure that their newly qualified teens are driving safe. Technology on the Road Smartphones have changed how road users drive. Monitoring has now become an important safety measure now for both new and seasoned drivers. As these bad habits are identified, they can then be rectified and avoided altogether. These apps can help in that regard. So does getting professional training, which is exactly what Driving with Ellis offers. Our aim is to produce exceptional drivers, and we have all sorts of courses towards the fulfilment of that objective. Article specially written for DrivingWithEllis.co.uk

By: Clover Elsie