Sat Nav uses child’s voice to encourage careful driving around schools

Slow Down GPS switches to a child's voice anytime the vehicle is near a school or another area that is heavily populated with children.

One of the most powerful ways to remind motorists to drive safely in areas where there are kids, is to let them know who is at risk. That’s the reasoning behind If Insurance’s new Slow Down GPS, which switches to a child’s voice anytime the vehicle is near a school, day care centre or other area that is heavily populated with children.

Despite most cities having signage, motorists are often driving on autopilot and fail to notice that they have entered a particularly hazardous area — this carelessness leads to almost 400 children under 15 being killed by cars in the US each year. The Slow Down GPS navigation system is a free app that works like a regular GPS, providing real-time audio directions for the driver. When the car enters a dangerous area, the voiceover switches to the child’s voice. Since most people inherently care for children, this causes a visceral, physical, cognitive and behavioral reaction in the listener — prompting them to pay closer attention to the road.

Could this simple tool become a standard in all GPS systems?