As of September 2010, 30 states and the District of Columbia have banned text messaging for all drivers—including Massachusetts where a ban on TWD goes into effect today—and an additional eight states prohibit text messaging by novice drivers. However, even with laws in place, drivers are still texting while driving (TWD).  Take a look at some findings from our report.

The study found that while more state laws exist today to ban texting while driving, 35% of mobile phone users continue to text behind the wheel. The study also found that young adults aged 20 to 29 years old had the highest percentage (62%) of offenders admitting to texting while driving.  They ranked higher than teenagers aged 16-19 years old (53%), while 50-59 year olds ranked only 17%.  The worst offenders came from Idaho (45% admitting to texting while driving), Kentucky (44%), and Missouri (43%), while New Mexico and Alabama had the next best records with only 22% and 23%, respectively.

The study found that drivers know about safety issues surrounding distracted driving, are interested in curving those habits and are open to technologies that could help them drive safely.  Highlights of the data include:

• 91% of drivers feel that they are more likely to get into an accident while reading or typing a text message.
• 90% feel that reading or typing a text message is just as unsafe as not wearing a seatbelt.
• 44% have been passengers in a vehicle where the driver was reading or typing a text message and 76% of those passengers felt unsafe.
• 80% are trying to limit the frequency in which they read or type text messages while driving.
• When asked if drivers would feel safer if they had the ability to speak text messages into their phones without taking their eyes off the road, 67% said yes, 22% said maybe, while 11% said no.

We asked Vlingo’s president & CEO to comment on the findings:

“We’ve conducted this survey three years in a row and each year despite the growing awareness of distracted driving, people continue to endanger themselves and their passengers by typing and reading messages behind the wheel.” said Dave Grannan, president and CEO of Vlingo. “It is clear from our survey and a recent report published  by the Highway Loss Data Institute; Texting Laws and Collision Claim Frequencies, that banning texting while driving does not automatically make roads safer; we’re also going to need a technology solution, which is where Vlingo is focused.”

“It’s clear that consumers are still tempted to reach for their cell phone when text messages come through while they are driving,” continued Grannan.  “The good news is today’s technology has advanced to the point where those incoming messages can be automatically read out loud when they arrive and drivers can simply speak to respond to urgent messages while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road—and Vlingo will be making this technology available in the next few weeks for free for certain mobile phones. “

We also reached out to Android Central to get their objective view.

Well the results are in, and we’re proud to say that Vlingo has pulled a clean sweep!  We believe our Android voice recognition application stacks up favorably against anyone, but we are thrilled that our customers agree.  After all, it’s not our opinion that really counts.  Here are some highlights…

Pepsi Challenge Results – Vlingo in a Unanimous Decision

We asked myTouch 3G users who tried Vlingo to rate both the native functionality, and what Vlingo brought to the table.  Using a scale of 1 (Very Bad) to 5 (Excellent), we calculated the average score across 9 categories – and Vlingo beat the Genius Button in all 9 categories (Chart below).

Additionally, we asked the simple question, “Which performs better?” As you can see, customers preferred Vlingo by a wide margin.

Android Central Analysis – “Vlingo Wins the Showdown”

We provide the folks over at Android Central with a myTouch 3G Slide loaded with a copy of Vlingo and asked them to conduct their own investigation. They evaluated 10 features and functions, although slightly different than ours, either giving out 0 (poor), 0,5 (average), or 1 (strong) points for each .  And once again Vlingo comes out on top.  Here’s a quick summary of scores:

They included a detailed evaluation and a video showing the unscripted test and results on their blog here:

http://www.androidcentral.com/voice-control-app-showdown-vlingo-vs-genius-button

Whether you have the myTouch 3G Slide, or another Android device, Vlingo continues to prove that it belongs at the top of the class.  The best part?  You don’t even have to take our word for it.

TJ Leonard

Director, Product Marketing

Today we have announced the top 10 voice-powered mobile Web searches of 2009. Based on data accumulated through millions of Vlingo-powered mobile Web searches over the past year, the data provides a unique view into mobile Web trends.

YouTube, Facebook and MySpace and Twitter’s presence on the list demonstrate the power of social networking and video sharing even while people are on-the-go. Other top 10 terms focused on utility as people looked for information to help with everyday tasks and preparation such as weather, directions, phone numbers and movie times.

“Unlike traditional Web searches that focus on specific search terms such as ‘Michael Jackson’ or ‘Twilight,’ our data shows that on mobile phones, people tend to search for specific destinations sites and resources,” said Dave Grannan, president and CEO of Vlingo. “Mobile Web search is very popular on Vlingo, accounting for over 20% of all usage. Based on our users’ top searches, we are seeing mobile extending far beyond SMS and voice communications to encompass multimedia and social networking.”

Top 10 Mobile Voice Searches for 2009
1. YouTube
2. Facebook
3. MySpace
4. Weather
5. Movie Times
6. Twitter
7. Yellow Pages
8. MapQuest
9. craigslist
10. White Pages

Erin Keleher, Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Vlingo