With increasing demand for its innovative and versatile automotive messaging platform and safety tool designed to help deter distracted driving, called reflectionband®, Reflection Band, LLC has officially launched its online store at www.reflection-band.com. Reflectionbands, with messages like “Arrive Alive. DON’T TEXT and DRIVE”, can be installed around the rear-view mirror frame of any car or truck.
Reflectionband has been utilized by numerous agencies for their statewide traffic safety programs and campaigns, including the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation, Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, Connecticut Dept. of Transportation and Virginia Dept. of Transportation. Now, it’s officially available to consumers who can choose from several creative designs, bright colors and life-saving messages.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the Nation lost 35,092 people in crashes on U.S. roadways during 2015, an increase from 32,744 in 2014. The 7.2% increase is the largest percentage increase in nearly 50 years. And, in August 2016,The National Safety Council’s preliminary estimates were that vehicle deaths were 9% higher through the first six months of 2016 than in 2015, and resulted in approximately 19,100 deaths.
According to Robert Gordon, a senior vice president of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, insurance companies, which closely track auto accidents, are convinced that the biggest cause of the rise in road fatalities is the increasing use of electronic devices while driving.
Research compiled by AT&T asserts that drivers are not only texting. Four-in-10 drivers tap into social media, 3-in-10 surf the net and 1-in-10 video chat. Overall, 7-in-10 people engage in smartphone activities while driving.
“With enhanced technology and connectivity in automobiles, distracted driving has become the norm and leads to thousands of unnecessary vehicle crashes and deaths every year, said Frank J. Rosello, CEO and co-founder of Reflection Band, LLC. “And, since people in crashes rarely admit they were using their phones, or tragically die, the statistics aren’t properly tracking how many crashes and fatalities are actually caused by distracted driving. Clearly, it’s a systemic problem and more needs to be done to help deter it.”
Reflection Band was founded in 2014 after its co-founder, Paul G. Marcus, saw that a friend had written “Don’t Text and Drive” with a marker on his teenage daughter’s rear-view mirror. After extensive research, Rosello and Marcus realized that existing distracted driving technology was ineffective because it was controlled by drivers, the government couldn’t regulate phone use and driving fatalities were skyrocketing. They felt they could create a simpler way to remind drivers to drive safely and facilitate positive driving behaviors with key messages that resonated with drivers. Their idea included simple, yet consistent, rear-view mirror statements that kept safe driving top-of-mind. Their goal was to promote, inspire and reinforce cautious driving behaviors and, ultimately, save lives. And, Dept. of Transportation agencies throughout the U.S. quickly took notice and started using them in their statewide traffic safety campaigns.
“We chose reflectionband for the New Mexico Department of Transportation because we felt this product was very unique and groundbreaking,” said Robert J. Archuleta, former Director of the Highway of Traffic Office. “It’s something that we hadn’t seen before to help prevent injury and death, which is why we were the first agency to adopt it for our geo-specific and state-wide traffic safety campaign.” See his video testimonial at http://www.reflection-band.com/testimonials/