What's the news?
You may not have realised it but this week is National Face It Down Week. It's all to do with Toyota's FaceItDown app, a programme that detects when you're ignoring your phone when driving, and gives you reward points that can be cashed in for such prizes as free hot drinks from Topaz ReStore and €50 off car insurance from FBD.
According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA)'s statistics, you're four-times more likely to have an accident when using a hand-held mobile phone, and Toyota says that the app, now downloaded more than 42,000 times, has encouraged drivers to leave their phones alone for as many as 12 million kilometres.
That's 302-times around the Earth, from pole-to-pole (ask Michael Palin for more details), and 14,602 hot drinks have been claimed.
This week, National Face It Down Week, means that anyone using the app from April 23rd to 27th will get double points, so can claim even more free coffee!
Points earned can be redeemed against a complimentary hot drink for every 350 kilometres travelled at 159 participating Topaz ReStore across Ireland. 250 bonus points will be awarded for a user's first successful journey with bonus points also given at milestones. Users can also use their points to get €50 off car insurance from FBD Insurance.
Steve Tormey, Chief Executive of Toyota Ireland said: "Since launching our Built for a Better World brand platform it has been Toyota Ireland's mission to help make life better in Ireland. We are extremely proud of what the Toyota FaceItDown app has achieved in drawing more attention to road safety and the dangers of distractions while driving. We are encouraging people to get on board with National FaceItDown Awareness Week from April 23rd and do just that, FaceItDown".
Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority added: "We want the road to be a safe place for everyone. According to our 2016 observational study of mobile phone use, which observed over 14,000 drivers, a total of 6% of drivers were observed using a phone while driving. Driving a car demands your full attention so you can observe and listen out for hazards and operate the vehicle safely. You simply cannot do this if you are distracted while using your phone. Taking your eyes of the road for just a split second can have catastrophic consequences. We encourage people to use the Toyota FaceItDown app. It is a way of doing the right thing and getting rewarded for it. That's why the RSA is hugely supportive of the work Toyota and the FaceItDown campaign has done to make a difference to road safety."