Samsung Encourages Eyes on the Road – Circumventing the Dangers of Distractions from Mobile Phones while Driving

Samsung Encourages Eyes on the Road – Circumventing the Dangers of
Distractions from Mobile Phones while Driving

Samsung develops VR content to educate public on
potential implications of distraction from mobile devices while driving

Based on a
study conducted by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/technology/28texting.html

Singapore – May 26, 2017 – To help
raise awareness on the dangers of distractions from using mobile devices while driving, Samsung today launched
its latest development in VR content – Eyes
on the Road – alongside the launch of the Singapore Road Safety Month by
the Singapore Road Safety Council and Traffic Police. As the official
technology partner of Singapore Road Safety Month, Samsung has created this
immersive VR content to educate the public on the importance of staying focused
while on the roads.

“The use
of smartphones is already a mainstay in many of our lives and we depend on it
throughout the day, be it for making calls, texting or even for navigation,”
said Eugene Goh, Vice President, IT & Mobile, Samsung Electronics
Singapore. “As a global mobile industry leader, we have harnessed the
responsible use of VR technology to develop Eyes
on the Road for the public to safely and realistically experience the
dangers of driving while distracted by their mobile phones, and we hope that it
will help to inculcate good road safety habits amongst road users in Singapore.”

Encouraging
Safe Driving among Road Users

Although
the number of fatal accidents has decreased by 5.4 percent from 2015 to 2016,
the number of injury accidents has seen a rise of 2.7 percent in 2016 as
compared to 20151. To help reduce the number of traffic incidents caused by distractions
from mobile devices, Samsung’s Eyes on the Road VR content features different
dangerous scenarios to discourage the use of mobile devices while on the road.
For example, a scenario plays out whereby the user, experiencing the point of
view of a driver, almost gets into an accident at a pedestrian crossing due to
distractions from his mobile device.

Best viewed through the Samsung Gear VR2, this VR experience seeks to educate consumers
in a safe yet realistic manner on the potentially hazardous situations they may
place other road users in, or vice versa, when using mobile devices while
driving.

“The
use of VR technology to showcase these scenarios allows us as drivers and
motorists to experience the dangers of distractions first hand,” said Daryl
Seah, 28, Marketing Executive, a motorist who has viewed Samsung’s Eyes on the
Road VR content. “After experiencing for myself how a quick glance at my
playlist can have dire consequences, I’ll be sure to stay focused on driving
when my car is in motion.”

Samsung’s
Eyes on the Road VR content can now be downloaded via the Samsung VR store for
free and will be compatible with all Samsung Gear VR-compatible devices3.

Celebrating
Road Safety

Samsung’s
Eyes on the Road VR content will be on display at the Singapore Road Safety
Month roadshow event at Nex Shopping Centre from 24 to 28 May 2017 and at the
Samsung Experience Store at VivoCity from 30 May to 2 July 2017. Additionally,
Samsung will be holding two Samsung Eyes
on the Road #EOTR contests on Instagram whereby participants can stand a
chance to win a Galaxy S8 and a Gear VR with Controller4. One
contest will take place at Samsung’s Eyes on the Road booth at Nex Shopping
Centre from 24 May to 28 May 2017,
and the other contest will take place at the Eyes on the Road experience corner
at Samsung Experience Store at
VivoCity from 30 May to 2 July 2017.
To take part, interested parties simply need to:

•      
Head down to the Samsung’s Eyes on the Road
booth at Nex Shopping Centre between 24 and 28 May 2017 OR the Eyes on the Road experience corner at Samsung Experience
Store at VivoCity between 30 May and 2 July 2017.

•      
Take a photo of themselves against Samsung’s
Eyes on the Road backdrop.

•      
Upload the photo to their own Instagram page and
tag @samsung_sg and include the #EOTR hashtag within the captions.

One lucky winner from each contest who has the
most creative image and caption will walk away with a

Samsung Galaxy S8 (worth $1,148) and a Gear VR
with Controller (worth $188)4. Visitors of the Samsung’s
Eyes on the Road booth at Nex Shopping Centre will also receive complimentary
sweet treats5 when they
experience Samsung’s Eyes on the Road VR content.

Forging
Partnerships to Increase Responsibility on the Road

In
order to help promote the importance of staying focused on the road and
continuing to raise awareness around the subject, Samsung has partnered the
Singapore Road Safety Council to forge several initiatives to foster a culture
of safer road use:

•       The Singapore Safety Driving
Centre, ComfortDelGro Driving Centre and Bukit Batok Driving Centre will
feature Samsung Gear VR units fitted with Samsung’s Eyes on the Road VR
content, giving soon-to-be drivers an opportunity to experience a realistic
setting on the potential hazards irresponsible driving might cause. The aim of
this initiative is to develop a strong sense of responsibility among drivers on
the roads, especially helping new drivers inculcate the right habits as they
begin their journey.

•      
To further promote a culture of responsible
on-the-road habits, Samsung has also sponsored 250 units of Samsung Galaxy J5
Prime to the Singapore Road Safety Community Park (RSCP).

o    The Galaxy J5 Prime units
will replace the longstanding paper checklists that the Singapore RSCP has been
using. Students will simply need to scan the QR code using the RCSP mobile