Planning to go on vacation this winter? There are numerous apps to download to keep you safe from icy roads including Waze and Honk.
Icy Roads Accidents
According to data from the USDOT Federal Highway Administration, snowy and icy roads cause an average of 1,836 deaths and 136,309 injuries per year. Additionally, these values indicate a 10-year average between 2005 and 2014.
Car Insurance Comparison also added that during their 10-year study icy roads result in 156,000 motor accidents, 42,000 injuries, and 20 deaths per year. This places it as the fourth most deadly weather condition, as well as the worst of all winter weather circumstances.
For those unfamiliar, Winter Season begins every Dec. 21 and lasts until Mar. 20, putting it in the middle of the fall and spring seasons. The weather becomes colder in the winter, with temperatures as low as three degrees Fahrenheit in certain areas, and the nights become longer than the days.
Since icy roads are dangerous, CNET has shared numerous useful apps to keep you safe this winter season:
4 Road Safety Apps To Download This Winter Season
4. AAA Mobile - iOS and Android
AAA is nearly synonymous with roadside help, having over 61 million members.
You may use the app to request assistance and track the progress of your driver, so you'll know when aid will come. In the app, you can also view the name and photo of your driver. AAA Mobile also displays the most affordable gas prices and other special offers in your area.
The AAA Mobile app is available for free download in the App Store and Google Play Store, but roadside assistance and other functions require a AAA membership. The annual membership fees range from $35 to $135.50.
3. The Weather Channel - iOS and Android
The Weather Channel app does not offer roadside assistance, but it can warn you about impending bad weather so you don't walk outside right before a snowfall. Local hourly, daily, and weekly forecasts, as well as precipitation alerts, are available through the app.
The weather is shown in real time on a radar map, and there is also a Future Radar function that gives weather predictions. The Weather Channel app is available in the App Store and Google Play Store for free.
2. Waze - iOS and Android
Waze is a crowd-sourced traffic app that provides real-time road information. Waze users share road information with other users, so you'll know whether a road is snowed in or has black ice before you leave home.
Waze, which is owned by Google, also provides roadside assistance, although this does not guarantee that a service provider would respond. Your position and the assistance you require are displayed on the Waze map for 30 minutes when you utilize this feature. Other Waze users or a third-party partner might notice and, in theory, come to your aid.
This app is available on both iOS and Android.
1. Honk - iOS and Android
Honk has been described by CNET as a roadside assistance version of Uber or Lyft.
If you need assistance, all you have to do is enter your location and the nature of your problem into the app, and neighboring service providers will compete for your business. You then select the winning bid and pay using the app.
Honk further claims that their network of 75,000 service providers assures a 15-to-30-minute average wait time.
Honk is available for free in the App Store and Google Play Store.
