OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), March 22, 2011 -
In the lead-up to National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Sprint
(NYSE:S) CEO Dan Hesse today announced to attendees at the
International CTIA WIRELESS 2011 Show that Sprint later this year will
offer Sprint® Drive FirstTM – the wireless carrier’s first
safe-driving solution to help wireless consumers safely manage their
mobile devices and focus on driving while they’re behind the wheel.
“As a parent, I am proud that Sprint is offering distracted driving
solutions like Sprint Drive First, which effectively helps wireless
customers manage their usage, stay safe behind the wheel and focus their
attention on driving,” Hesse said. “As mobile data usage continues to
grow in popularity, Sprint wants to ensure its wireless consumers engage
in safe behavior for themselves and others.”
Sprint plans to make Drive First available in the third quarter of 2011
on AndroidTM mobile phones for Sprint customers and will
require a $2-per-month charge (excluding surcharges and taxes) for each
device that utilizes its features.
Created by Location
Labs, Sprint Drive First is designed to do the following
when driving is detected:
- Lock the driver’s cell phone screen and redirect calls to voice mail.
-
Block text-message alerts and auto-respond to the message sender that
the driver is currently unavailable. -
Allow access to three key contacts and three mobile applications, such
as GPS navigation. -
Give parents and business administrators Web portal access to
configure Drive First for their teens’ or employees’ mobile devices.
“Location Labs continues to develop best-of-breed personal and family
safety services that unlock the power of smart devices for users of all
ages,” said Location Labs CEO Tasso Roumeliotis. “We are thrilled to
partner with Sprint, which is once again showing a real commitment to
family and personal safety by offering DriveFirst to Sprint customers.”
Attendees at the International CTIA WIRELESS 2011 Show can demo Sprint
Drive First and other distracted driving solutions at the “Sprint
Innovation Station” in the exhibitor hall.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and along with
Sprint Drive First, Sprint will introduce a new interactive
distracted-driving pledge that Sprint customers will be able to access
online.
Since 2005, Sprint has advocated on behalf of its customers and
employees on the dangers of distracted driving and worked with schools,
nonprofit organizations and product developers to combat texting while
driving. Sprint also has been an advocate for its employee pledge to not
text and drive.
Sprint recently participated
in an episode of ABC’s Extreme Makeover:Home Edition (Sundays,
8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT) that focused on distracted driving – donating
more than $100,000 in mobile devices, wireless service and a monetary
contribution to the Brown family of Wellman, Texas, in connection
with the Remember Alex Brown Foundation.
More information on Sprint’s distracted driving efforts can be found at sprint.com/focusondriving.
At this site visitors can access a database
of useful distracted-driving mobile applications, and find other
helpful resources on responsible driving behavior.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 49.9
million customers at the end of 2010 and is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including
the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United
States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid
brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance
Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities;
and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in
its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest
companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn
more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com
or www.facebook.com/sprint
and www.twitter.com/sprint.