Some details
Use of mobile phones while driving is a big problem on Irish roads. Too many people still drive while on their phone to take a call, text, snap a selfie, update their social media channels or check an email.
As part of Toyota’s brand promise ‘Built for a Better World’, they developed the Toyota FaceItDown app with the aim of changing driver behaviour and improving road safety for everyone. In partnership with the Road
Safety Authority, FBD Insurance, and Circle K, Toyota is rewarding drivers for putting their phone face down when driving. Drivers can redeem the points they earned for their journey in the form of a €50 reduction on their car insurance with FBD Insurance or a complimentary hot drink at Circle K stores nationwide. The app is available to all drivers, not just Toyota owners.The Toyota FaceItDown app started off as a cross-platform app using React Native. We implemented some native code on both Android and iOS to fulfill certain requirements.
The FaceItDown API is a service that processes requests sent by the mobile applications and the administration dashboard. It is a Node.js service that uses RethinkDB for data storage and retrieval. The administration is a React web app.
The app has had over 50k downloads in a 12 month period, with over nine million distraction free journeys carried out so far. FaceItDown has received a lot of coverage in the media including RTE, RSA, Irish Mirror, Independent and Marketing Magazine.
