The Story Behind TASL: How To Prevent Distracted Driving

It is undeniable that many motorists often use their phones while driving, and this action is no joke when it comes to the risk it poses on others while on the road. While the accessibility of smartphones has facilitated the ease with which we can connect with others, it has also created the dangerous and addictive habit of needing to check the screen far too often.

Phone-based distracted driving robs our attention when we’re behind the wheel, increasing the risk of getting into an accident and causing disastrous consequences for the offenders and innocent bystanders alike.

How Dangerous Is Distracted Driving? 

According to The National Safety Council, distracted driving causes 1.6 million accidents annually. And a whopping 1 in 4 accidents in the U.S. involves texting while driving.

Texting is one of the leading causes of distracted driving

Did you know that texting while driving is 6 times more dangerous and is more likely to cause accidents compared to driving under the influence of alcohol? In fact, a quick glance at your phone while moving at highway speeds is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field blind. It’s no wonder why engaging with our phones while driving is the most dangerous activity on the road.

Texting while driving has always been dangerous and while we’re all aware of the risks, most drivers admit to driving distracted on a regular basis. There has never been an effective solution to curb the increasing number of accidents, injuries and deaths caused by the use of mobile phones while driving until This App Saves Lives (TASL).

How TASL Came To Life

Ryan Frankel, Founder, CEO

In 2015, serial entrepreneur Ryan Frankel was injured and nearly killed while cycling by a driver who ran a red light while texting.

Ryan Frankel, founder of TASL, as an Ironman-in-training

As an Ironman triathlete and fitness enthusiast, Ryan enjoyed riding his bike in New York City as an early morning activity to kickstart the day. His daily routine included sharing the road with buses, cars, and trucks, avoiding opening car doors, and maneuvering through the traffic. He had gotten used to the various sounds, visuals, and inputs from different directions, and this level of awareness may have saved his life.

As Ryan rode one morning, he saw out of the corner of his eye a car barreling towards him with no intention of stopping at the red light. The driver’s head was down, clearly looking at his phone so Ryan swerved to avoid a direct collision. Despite avoiding being hit by the car, Ryan flipped over his handle-bars, smashed into the pavement and fractured his hip and elbow along the way.

The driver that caused the incident drove off, probably not even realizing what had transpired.

Like anyone else, Ryan was angry at the driver. However, he knew that getting angry would not solve anything and the incident would likely continue to happen again and again.

And so what started out as Ryan personally experiencing an injury quickly morphed into the realization that distracted driving causes 2 million accidents every single year. Ryan investigated current solutions in the marketplace to discourage drivers from engaging in phone-based distracted driving. Most solutions centered on blocking one’s ability to send or receive messages.

Not surprisingly, these so-called solutions haven’t helped, as evidenced by the increasing prevalence of distracted driving. Nobody likes to be told what not to do. Moreover, studies in behavioral psychology reveal that rewards, not punishments, drive the greatest behavioral change.

Combining behavioral psychology with his findings, Ryan developed a way to reward drivers for making the right choices as opposed to punishing them for making the wrong ones.

Ryan designed This App Saves Lives (“TASL”) to put an end to such a dangerous and addictive behavior.

Effortlessly earn amazing rewards from your favorite brands while also making the world a safer place

Avoiding Distracted Driving With TASL

Ryan came up with a different approach to encourage drivers to maintain road safety. Through the TASL mobile app, drivers earn rewards points for driving undistracted and these points are redeemable for amazing incentives sponsored by brands around the country. With TASL, the more you focus on the road, the more points you earn.

The TASL app will earn you rewards for not using your phone while driving

The TASL mobile app is one that you can set and forget. The app will remain dormant and will automatically load when it detects that you are moving faster than 10 miles per hour, signaling that you are driving. At this point, the application launches in the background and starts calculating points as you drive. With this feature, there is no need to open the app every time you plan to drive.

Drivers can still listen to music, take hands-free calls and use their navigation apps, but other activities such as texting, checking the web, scrolling through Facebook and other apps are recognized as distractions and results in a loss of points.

The points you earn can be redeemed for a wide range of products from top brands. Another unique feature is TASL’s utilization of fun and engaging gamification, enabling drivers to see their safe driving performance relative to themselves and others.

So far, there are thousands of users of the TASL app who enjoy the rewards from popular merchant partners while also avoiding distracted driving and making the roads safer. Through its vast database, TASL has proven that rewards and gamification result in meaningful improvements in safe driving behavior.

The TASL mobile app is free to download. Get it now and start earning rewards for being a better driver.

Final Thoughts

Each of us has an opportunity to be a superhero with the decisions we make when we’re behind the wheel. So the next time you have that urge to check your phone while driving, remember that in an instant your life and the lives of those around you can change. Let’s all do our part to make the world a safer place.

Try TASL today and earn great rewards for being a safer driver.