Being the 21st Century we are now turning to technology to both improve our driving and driving experiences. Recent developments including distance & speed cruise control, assisted parking and rain activated wipers have helped remove some of the stresses involved with operating a road-going vehicle.
However, the rise of smartphones has dawned a new day for 'assisted driving' as pre-travel, in-car and post journey applications are now available at our fingertips to help guide us through the often pot-hole riddled terrain that is road travel. Take a look at a few useful driving apps for yourself.
aCar - Car Maintenance/Management App
A great app for those travelling for either business and/or pleasure. This tool allows you to track fuel mileage and maintenance schedules including mileage based reminders such as oil level checks, windscreen reservoir checks and air-filer replacement checks. This app will also track mileage and fuel expenses for those who are reimbursed for business travel. What's more, the app allows for multiple vehicles to be tracked independently; perfect for those who have more than one vehicle.
iOnRoad - Personal Driving Assistance
For those of you who are fed up with friends and colleagues reeling off the endless list of technological wizardry that comes as standard with their new car, this app could be for you! Using your smartphone's camera and GPS system iOnRoad can accurately calculate your distance from the car in front, indicate as to required reaction time should that car suddenly brake/stop and alert you if you begin to drift out of lane. This app could be of particular use to people travelling long distances, in unfamiliar territories or at night.
Trapster - Speed Trap Sharing System
The last thing any of us want is to be hit with a speeding fine especially if you are driving a hire car abroad. Our obvious advise against getting a speeding ticket is not to speed, however if you are the cautious type (or have a few too many points on your licence already) Trapster could be for you! Trapster is a crowd-sourced community app which enables members to flag areas where they have seen or been at the receiving end of a police speed trap. Once flagged, these locations are indicated on a map as Known Enforcement Zones allowing for fellow app users to adjust their speed accordingly - not that iCarhireinsurance policyholders would ever exceed the speed limit?! NOTE OF CAUTION - check locals laws before using speed camera detection technology as some territiores have laws against using equipment of this nature.
Are you of an absentminded disposition or planning on driving in a big city? The Find My Car app uses GPS tracking to create your very own 'breadcrumb trail' from your current position back to your parked vehicle. Whether your car is situated in a busy car park or hiding somewhere within a maze of city side streets, this app will lead you to it.
Being involved in a car incident is immensely stressful regardless of whether you caused it or were on the receiving end. For those who may never have been in an accident, and those who have been in more than their fair share, the iWrecked app is here to guide you through the process. Its instructions walk you through what to do after an incident, allows you to capture and store photos of the vehicles involved, lets you log the time and location of the incident using geo-tagging, has an accident reporting facility and points you in the direction of the nearest garage.
Remember, whether you're tech-savvy or not, iCarhireinsurance.com's simple online claims submission process is the only one of its kind within the industry and ensures that your car hire excess charges are reimbursed to you in the fastest and most stress-free fashion possible.
