Bloomington, Ill -- Whatever it is, the saying goes, "There's an app for that".
Now there's an application for your iPhone, iPad or Droid that can gauge your driving skills.
We tried out the free software, just released by State Farm insurance.
Most of us think we're pretty competent behind the wheel.
But lack of tickets may not mean you're as safe a driver as you could be. So are you ready to have your real world, every day driving skills critiqued by a computer? State Farm now has an app called "Driver Feedback" for the iPhone, iPads and Android phones.
"What this app does is it compliments the other tools in an arsenal of resources that we have that promote better safer driving habits," said Blake Zitko, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm Insurance.
Parents, for example, have been looking for years to find a way to observe how their teens drive when they are not supervised by an adult.
"Are you turning too sharply? Are you braking too quickly? So it looks at all those it maps out your route, and it provides a score that you can then compare yourself to others or your past trips, to make sure that you are being a safe driver and that you are improving, explained Zitko.
Zitko set us up with a test run.
The program uses the device's GPS to determine where you are driving, and an internal sensor called an accelerometer to determine how fast you are accelerating, braking and turning.
We drove for 25 minutes around the twin cities. Our score? 86. The program called us out on braking too abruptly, and even pinpointed where it was that we got on the brakes too fast. Then it provided us with an explanation of what we did wrong, and warned about to leave more room between me and the gasoline tanker we were behind.
Good advice.
The app is free and available to anyone.
Find it online at www.statefarm.com/mobile.
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