Cork tech whizz designs new app that identifies best and worst drivers

PARENTS can now be able to monitor the driving of their children from the comfort of their armchair all thanks to a new app designed by a Cork tech expert.

Cork based telematics expert, Greg McGarry devised and launched the Targify driver safety app earlier this year.

The Targify Connected Car 360 app looks at factors such as speed, harsh braking, excessive acceleration and harsh cornering and ranks drivers accoridngly

The app collects driver behaviour information on novice drivers and sends information directly to the smartphone’s or tablets of their parents and guardians.

Information on the app includes the current location of the car, and the maximum speed of the vehicle of each journey along with a “harsh braking alert,” all of which are a crucial indicators of risky driving behaviour.

It also tracks the route of the car and there are excessive acceleration alerts.

The app can even tell parents if their youngsters are taking risks at bends on the road as it can send out a harsh cornering alert if the young drivers take a corner too quickly, something which can easily cause a novice driver to lose control and crash.

Every driver registered on the app starts with 100 points and from then on points are detracted for infractions and aggressive driving.

A final score of one at the end of a journey is classed as “terrible driving” while 100 is considered “excellent.”

Mr McGarry was Commenting on the CSO’s recent Transport Omnibus report for 2017 – which found that in 2016 272 men and 186 women aged between 18 and 24 were injured on Ireland’s roads – Mr McGarry said more needs to be done to tackle reckless driving by younger drivers

“In Cork alone, there were 14 road fatalities in 2017 – down from 21 in 2016. There were also 694 people injured on Cork’s roads in 2016,” he said.

“Everyone is affected by dangerous or risky driving behaviour – but as inexperienced and sometimes overenthusiastic new drivers, we all need to be mindful of how young drivers behave on our roads,” Mr McGarry said.

“While there are many sensible young drivers out there, there can be no denying that a certain cohort can behave recklessly at times, and we need to tackle this issue, so that we can improve road safety for everyone,” he said.

The app designer was of the view that the parents of these young drivers certainly have a role to play – but he admits that they can only do so much.

“Ultimately, we need to instil a sense of caution and safety from an early age. Promoting good behaviour on our roads and shunning speedy and risky driving is important – so that it’s not seen as “cool” to drive to fast or recklessly – but that it is, in fact, regarded as dangerous and foolish,” he said.