A new service that can help fleet and mobility managers detect smartphone usage while driving has launched in Europe.

The tool calculates a distracted driving score from 1-10 for the driver after each trip

Developed by DriveQuant, which develops driving data analysis services based on physical models and mathematical tools, the distracted driving indicator works by detecting phone use by the driver of a moving vehicle – from actual phonecalls to texting and even web browsing.

The tool then calculates a distracted driving score from 1-10 for the driver after each trip. It takes into account the number of times the mobile phone’s screen has been unlocked, and the time and distance travelled with the screen on.

The new solution joins the firms’ existing connected services for fleets, including safety and eco-driving scores, fuel consumption and tyre and brake wear estimation, driver coaching and the creation of driving challenges; all of which are offered either in API (application programming interface) form, as SDKs (set of tools to help develop mobile applications) or via turnkey white label smartphone applications.

Philippe Moulin, CEO, and co-founder of DriveQuant, said: “Today, the smartphone replaces many accessories within the vehicle itself: GPS, music player, internet access… It is important to know that phoning while driving increases the risk of an accident by a factor of three and reading a message while driving by a factor of at least twenty-three! One of DriveQuant’s main missions is to provide concrete solutions to reduce this road risk. The development of this connected service for detecting smartphone use at the wheel has thus become a matter of course.”