Charleston, West Virginia – The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (WV GHSP) today announced a new smartphone safety application designed to decrease crashes and fatalities on West Virginia roads. TextLimit, the new app, restricts texting and calling functions in moving vehicles, and a free yearlong app subscription is now available to West Virginia residents at TextLimit.com.
“Safety is our number one priority, and the TextLimit app is another tool we can encourage people to use to help eliminate distracted driving from our roads,” said Bob Tipton, director of the WV GHSP. “Young drivers, in particular, may not realize the hazards of distracted driving, and this app can help them to remain more focused on the road ahead.”
The TextLimit app works in connection with a smartphone’s global positioning software to determine the speed of the user’s vehicle. When the vehicle reaches a pre-selected speed limit, the phone’s touch-screen is disabled – deactivating texting and some calling functions in an effort to reduce the likelihood of distracted driving-related crashes. Each customer that purchases the app determines the pre-selected speed, and can choose that speed to be as low as a couple miles per hour to allow the user to walk and text if desired.
The TextLimit.com application can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, Blackberry World, Google Play Store and TextLimit.com websites. TextLimit.com works with all 3G and 4G LTE devices connected to a data signal on the AT&T, Boost, Metro PCS, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Virgin, US Cellular, Sprint and all other wireless service systems in the U.S. and Canada. To receive the free year-long subscription, use the coupon code “NOTEXTWV”. Fees may apply after the first year.
According to a 2013 report from the National Safety Council, more than 1.6 million distracted driving crashes were reported nationwide. During the 2013 legislative session, the West Virginia Legislature passed a primary enforcement distracted driving law that bans both texting and hand-held cellphone use while operating a motor vehicle.