These Apps Can Make Your Driving Experience Comfortable and Safe

People are always discouraged from using mobile phones while driving. This appears to be a wise advice as smartphones often lead to distraction, but with dashboards becoming tech-friendly and more apps are being made to aid drivers, the same handset has proven to be a boon for people behind the wheels. All this require users to handle the phone in a smart and an advisable way.

In many situations, we have witnessed phones coming to drivers' rescue and help them solve a lot of tricky everyday questions like – "How much traffic am I going to find on a particular route?", or something more critical like "Where is the nearest hospital?"

Although fellow humans could also easily answer such queries, but there have been proven instances where the artificial intelligence appeared to be more accurate.

So for times when you hit the road and want to stay geared up for any kind of situation, including wrong turns and tricky parking tasks, here are some apps to help you make the most of your smartphone even if you don't have a smart car. Just get a smartphone mount and you are good to go miles with these:

1. Car dashboard apps

A must have for dumb cars or cars which are not equipped with smart navigation/infotainment systems. Car dashboard apps not only make your smartphone a less intrusive gadget while driving, but also make sure other people who are trying to reach you know that you are driving at the moment.

With a simple interface and large icons, these apps make smartphone use while driving a smoother and less risky a process - all with the use of voice-recognition and map integration. Some of the car dashboard apps include:

- Google Android Auto (Works with Android Auto compatible vehicle or aftermarket radio)

- Car Dashdroid

- Dash

- AutoMate-Car Dashboard

- Drive Mode

2. Nearby place finder

May God forbid but if you ever come across an untoward incidence happening while driving, be it your own vehicle hitting another one or witnessing some other road mishap, certain apps could prove to be lifesavers and provide you with a list of nearby emergency services in no time. A lot of mapping apps also integrate this feature which helps you find places near you from a coffee shop to an ATM, but standalone enquiry apps or services could help save some extra taps needed to get the information. Here are a few such apps that we suggest:

- Find Near Me

- Map my India

- Around me

3. All-inclusive mapping apps

There are a lot of mapping apps that help you plan your trip from work/home like you plan a vacation. These apps come with features that let you plan or schedule a trip, check for real-time traffic, add stopovers on your way, look for nearby fuel stations or repair shops and also alert select contacts about your whereabouts. Some also offer features to save or navigate through offline maps.

- Google Maps

- Here maps

- Waze

- Beat The Traffic

4. Car pooling apps

Driving does not only mean self-drive. Other than taxi-hailing apps, car pooling apps are beneficial for those looking for ride companions heading in the same direction. In a city like Delhi where the Odd-Even scheme has added to driving woes, following apps could prove to be a saviour, and also help you save some money.

- BlaBlaCar

- Orahi

- Ibibo Ryde

5. Safety apps

Irrespective of whether you've been driving alone at wee hours or are equipped with pepper sprays, a one-tap emergency calling app is indispensable. There are a host of apps catering to the sole purpose of making one feel more secure. The next time you start a journey from work towards home, your dear ones would always be able to know where exactly you are and if need be, come to your rescue in time. Some of these include:

- Himmat (by Delhi Police)

- VithU

- Raksha

- SafetiPin (Comes with a ‘safest route’ option)

6. Improve driving experience

Other than making driving less tedious an everyday process, some apps also help you cut down on car expenses. These apps regularly monitor your driving and the car’s fuel consumption so that there are lesser breakdowns. There are also some which use your smartphone’s rear camera to record your driving and integrate augmented reality to it. They further offer over speed warnings, emergency calling, and also traffic alerts. Be it locating your car in a parking or monitoring your teen while driving, these apps go a long way in improving the driving experience.

- Carcorder

- Find my car

- Canary (To stop distracted driving)