On December 3rd 1992 the first text message was sent… Since then SMS text messaging has become the most widely used data application in the world, with 2.4 billion active users. Additionally, the number deaths accredited to “distracted driving” has consistently gone up. BEST examples:
-- In 2009, the Virgina Tech Transportation Institute finished an 18-month study that involved placing cameras inside more than 100 long-haul trucks, which recorded the drivers over a combined driving distance of three million miles. Result: when the drivers were texting, their risk of crashing was 23 times greater than when not texting. (And they're not even teenagers!)
-- A 2009 experiment with Car and Driver showed that texting while driving had a bigger negative impact on driver safety than being drunk! At 70 mph, being legally drunk added 4 feet to stopping distance, reading an e-mail added 36 feet, and sending a text added 70 feet.
There is a huge and very real risk from trying to communicate with friends and family while driving, yet most of us, myself included still keep the mentality of “I can handle it”, one little word here at the stop light won’t hurt, but it quickly turns into a full conversation and before you know it, you look up and you’ve driven 3 miles down the road without even realizing the light had turned green?! Well, that was me until about 7 months ago my friend, Todd introduced me to HeyTell. His words were, “It makes texting archaic”.
HeyTell in its simplest form is an app that allows users to leave direct voicemails with friends without calling them. Like a walkie-talkie but better since messages are saved.
No dialing their number, listening to their phone ring 6 times, their greeting, the nice woman’s instructions, and waiting for the beep. It skips all that.
BEST of all: you don’t need to look down while driving!?!? (no texting involved)
I recently traveled to China and I of course turned my phone to airplane mode to avoid data charges, BUT I could still use a wi-fi signal and communicate with my wife.
Here’s what to do:
1. Find HeyTell in the App Store, download it for FREE
2. After download, tell HeyTell who you are in your contacts list (automatically reads all your contacts so no re-entering needed)
3. Click on the person-button to start a conversation with one of your contacts (They will have to get the app to receive/send)
4. Then, hold down the “Hold and Speak” button while you send your voicemail and let go once you’re done.
HeyTell has the immediacy of a text AND the casualty of it too. Yet it holds the sincerity of talking to a person in real life.
If everyone used this instead of texting the amount of accidents and deaths would go down.
It’s more convenient and most importantly: safer.
