While most people probably don't want to admit their own susceptibility to a bribe, the truth is that the right leverage is an incredibly convincing tool.
Some people can be persuaded by money; others by luxury items; but when it comes to me, this new app offers everything I want and more, all for the price of driving more safely: free coffee.
Per Rocket News 24, Japanese telecom provider au and car manufacturer Toyota have partnered together to create a smartphone app called Driving Barista that encourages its users to drive more safely.
Essentially, users of the app are asked to activate Driving Barista before stepping on the gas at the beginning of their voyage. Next, they place the phone face down on a flat surface and begin to drive. The smart app then tracks how far you’ve traveled; if you manage to drive 62 miles without fiddling with your phone, you will receive a coupon for a free cup of coffee at popular Japanese chain Komeda Coffee. Users will also earn coupons for each additional 122 miles they drive after that first 62.
Of course, while this app obviously subscribes to a positive reinforcement ideology, it’s not above chastising its users for underperforming. After activating Driving Barista, if a user’s phone detects that it has been flipped back over during the journey, not only does it reset the distance travelled, it serves up a giant ‘FAILURE’ message with a picture of a spilled coffee cup.
For now, the app can be used only in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, which is where Toyota’s global headquarters is located. Per Rocket News 24, it is also the region that has had more traffic fatalities than any other prefecture in Japan for an astonishing 13 consecutive years, with 213 fatalities by auto accidents on Aichi’s roads in 2015.
"In line with contributing to the ultimate goal of achieving zero traffic fatalities and zero traffic accidents, Toyota has implemented automobile safety measures as one of its top priority management concerns," Shuichi Murakami, managing officer at Toyota, told Oddity Central. "By carrying out a new traffic safety education initiative together with Komeda and KDDI, we hope to further reduce traffic accidents."