RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Think you’re a good driver? Well, you can soon find out and make some extra cash to boot.
Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), a Massachusetts-based startup developing mobile telematics and behavioral analytics, is currently running a contest to find the safest drivers in Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte and Austin, Texas using its new “Safest Driver” app. It coincides with the public launch of its platform in these cities this week.
Global ridesharing giant Uber and Progressive Insurance is sponsoring the contest, which ends April 26 and offers weekly prizes of up to $250 and a grand prize of up to $6,000.
Prior prize-based contests hosted in Boston, Seattle, San Antonio and Los Angeles, the startup said, showed drivers who participated reduced their risky driving behaviors like phone distraction, speeding, and hard braking by up to 57 percent.
A CMT spokesperson said the Cambridge-based company selected Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte for one of its initial rollouts because they are medium-sized markets with around average risk profiles, according to Uber data, which is based on frequency of crashes and reports of dangerous driving.
“Raleigh-Durham was the perfect place for this contest with its strong commitment to safety and being a Vision Zero city, meaning it has publicly committed to reducing traffic incidents,” she added.
Screen shot from Cambridge Mobile Telematics website
To enter the contest is simple: an entrant must download the Safest Driver app and complete at least 500 regional miles during the 14 days prior to, including the last day, the end of each prize period for weekly prizes.
To qualify for a grand prize, an entrant must drive at least 3,000 regional miles prior to the end of the contest period.
Additionally, the public release means that any organization that wishes to promote safe driving and save lives on the roads can host Safest Driver contests, not just municipalities.
CMT started based on research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and launched its first product in 2012. It now has over 50 active programs with insurers and other partners and is backed by the SoftBank Vision Fund.
“We’ve been giving drivers the resources and tools they need to improve their driving behavior since day one,” said CMT’s CEO Bill Powers, in a statement. “With the release of our Safest Driver platform, we’re continuing our work with major partners and cities to dramatically improve safety on the roads.”
The Safest Driver app is free to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
