Driver Technologies, an AI-based mobility tech company, has developed an app turns a smartphone into a Dash Cam while providing additional safety features. The aim is to reduce the number of worldwide traffic accidents.
To discover more, Digital Journal caught up with Rashid Galadanci, the CEO & Co-Founder of Driver Technologies, looking at how the company is improving road safety and about their expansion plans for the future.
Digital Journal: Driving is one of the leading causes of death. What is Driver Technologies doing to make a difference?
Rashid Galadanci: Driving is the only non-disease-related, top-10 cause of death and leads to over 50 million serious injuries worldwide each year. It is also the top cause of death for teens and young people worldwide. Technologies exist that could significantly improve these outcomes but unfortunately they are financially out of reach for most Americans, business owners and really, most of the world. Most of these technologies including AI analysis, telematics, real time drowsiness and distraction alerts and collision detection are paywalled through expensive hardware solutions that are integrated in up-scale cars, dash cams that are unreliable and expensive, or offered through subscription services that gate-keep instead of expanding road safety.
While new cars sometimes come with important safety capabilities, today the average car in America is 12.5 years old and these vehicles keep getting older. Driver Technologies has purposefully made its baseline Driver dash cam app with forward collision warnings and driver distraction and drowsiness alerts completely free to level the playing field for all drivers enabling lifesaving mobility technology to be available for everyone, not just owners of the latest hardware, dash cams, and upscale cars.
DJ: What makes your app Driver different from other dash cams?
Galadanci: Driver Technologies is an AI-based mobility tech company that delivers a safer, all encompassing driving experience that is more accessible than competitive solutions. Our Driver dash cam app provides all the features of a physical dash cam with safety alerts, roadside assistance and more, all integrated through a user’s smartphone. Approximately 80% of American adults own a smartphone, making Driver’s solution ubiquitous. For small businesses and fleets, being hit hard by COVID, hardware dash cam and safety devices from traditional providers can end up costing $100 per month per driver whereas our fleet solutions are a fraction of that price.
Additionally, our app integrates with a digital dashboard called the “DriverCloud” which captures and stores information including driving behaviors, incident reports, geolocation, weather conditions and much more. The user can decide what data to share and who to share it with. Unlike other telematics and dash cam solutions we put full control of the data in the driver’s hands whether it’s video of an incident or the location of an emergency. Last but not least, at Driver Technologies we also pride ourselves on incredible, human-driven customer service, including instant roadside assistance for users of the app.
DJ: How do you work with insurance companies and how do those partnerships ultimately benefit drivers?
Galadanci: Driver Technologies works with national insurance leaders to better understand safety and assess risks to provide services and discounts to drivers. These partnerships are optional for users and we ensure the driver has full control over the data they want to share (rather than defaulting to being tracked wherever they drive). Most importantly for drivers who unfortunately find themselves in an accident, Driver Technologies also protects drivers and their insurers from liability when accidents occur if a user chooses to share their incident with their insurance company through the DriverCloud. This also allows users to bypass time consuming uncertainty and delays in reimbursements.
DJ: Who are the ideal users of the Driver App and Driver Technologies?
Galadanci: Driver’s app can enhance the driving experience and safety for any daily commuter, new drivers, gig-economy workers, short-haul delivery drivers, fleet operators, municipal employees and other driving intensive industries/jobs without a dash cam. The only barrier to entry is a smartphone to get started on the free app. Driver Technologies is here for every type of user from the average business owner to the shared economy worker.
DJ: What are your expansion plans for the future?
Galadanci: Driver Technologies is working on enhancing the app’s capacities to include additional safety alerts and features in the near future. Our company believes that richer data analysis will translate directly into a safer driving experience. We continue to work on expanding partnerships to provide users with great discounts and we also plan to work with nonprofits and academic institutions to help foster positive accident prevention policies and outcomes for drivers everywhere.
Driver Technologies also keeps the rest of the world top of mind as well with rapid mobility growth and more than 90 percent of road fatalities occurring outside the U.S., our team intends to save lives all over the world. Driver Technologies has already been downloaded in 175 countries so we look forward to rapid international growth in 2022.
