GDOT partners with Atlanta Braves for new ‘Reach Home Safely’ app contest

ATLANTA — In a bid to make sure drivers keep using safe driving habits across Georgia, the Department of Transportation is partnering with the Atlanta Braves to promote the “Reach Home Safely” app by Cambridge Mobile Telematics.

The application is a safe driving app made to improve road safety and prevent crashes and GDOT says the app even “rewards fans for safe driving behaviors on the road.”

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As part of the app’s rollout on iPhones and Androids, GDOT has partnered with the Braves to host a contest for the title of safest driver.

“Ensuring that every Georgian reaches their destination safely is our top priority,” said Russell R. McMurry, P.E. Georgia DOT Commissioner. “By partnering with CMT on the Reach Home Safely app and through the support of the Atlanta Braves, we’re leveraging innovative technology and the power of community to tackle risky driving head-on. The Reach Home Safely program is more than just a contest — it’s a movement towards safer roads across Georgia.”

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Georgia, and the United States, are facing a road safety crisis due to distracted driving, according to GDOT.

The NHTSA reported an estimated 12,405 people died due to distracted driving in 2021. In 2023, Georgia drivers had their phones in their hand while driving for nearly two minutes, despite the state’s Hands-Free Law.

GDOT said that that statistic put Georgia at 43rd in the country and 12.6% higher than the U.S. average for phone-in-hand time while driving.

To cut down on those numbers, GDOT got to work with Cambridge Mobile Telematics to launch Reach Home Safely.

“Safest Driver programs, like Reach Home Safely, are proven to make roads safer. In other Safest Driver contests, CMT has seen a 48% reduction in distracted driving, a 38% decrease in excessive speeding, and a 57% drop in hard braking. CMT estimates that Georgia could prevent 4,100 crashes, 19 fatalities, and $160 million in economic damages annually by reducing distracted driving by 10%,” GDOT said in their announcement.

The Reach Home Safely app is available to all Georgia residents.

To join the contest for the safest driver in the state, drivers can download the free mobile app on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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