Yesterday, Google rolled out a new feature in Maps to help users where they parked their car. Now Samsung is also targeting drivers with a new application called In-Traffic Reply – but for a totally different reason.
In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in car accidents caused by drivers who used their smartphones while in-traffic. In order to prevent these kinds of incidents, the Korean tech giant announced the new “In-Traffic Reply” initiative.
Using the phone’s sensors, the app gets automatically activated when it detects the user is driving or riding. In the eventuality of a call or message, the app will send the person on the other end an automated response like “I’m driving, so I cannot answer at the moment”. Users can customize the default message to say anything they want. The app works with a selection of popular messaging apps including Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, not just SMS and calls.
In-Traffic Reply is developed by Samsung Netherlands and is currently still in beta. We can expect the app to become available for download from the Google Play Store sometime in mid-May.
In recent years, smartphones have been increasingly blamed for the rising of traffic deaths and injuries. Insurance companies say they can’t raise premiums fast enough to keep up with the cost of replacing sheet metal and paying those killed and injured in accidents caused by distracted drivers.  Will Samsung’s new app be able to put a stop to this worrisome rising trend?
