Virtual reality app shows consequences of distracted driving
Young drivers can now experience first-hand how mobile phone use and other distractions could cause road fatalities and land them in court.
The app uses the Google Daydream virtual reality platform.
Developed by Ford in partnership with Google and virtual reality studio Happy Finish, a new app uses Google Daydream VR to cast users as a distracted driver picking up friends on the way to a party while using instant messaging and making phone calls. The result is a fatal accident, with the driver held responsible.
Ford Reality Check is the first driver educational app of its kind for the Google Daydream virtual reality platform and tracks the amount of time the driver doesn’t have their eyes on the road, displaying the total at the end. In initial tests, 90% of those who used the app said they would change their driving behaviour after the experience.
The Ford Reality Check app will be demonstrated at the Ford Driving Skills for Life events on 17-19 November at the ExCeL and will be made available from the Google Play Store at a later date.For more of the latest industry news, click here.
Natalie Middleton
Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.
