After a long period of decline, traffic accidents in the Netherlands have been increasing again since 2013. The reason: people are distracted by their smartphones. Over 50% of all car crashes are caused by smartphone distraction (Cambridge Mobile Telematics 2017). Although everyone knows the dangers, they still feel social pressure (according to Dutch research 39% does) to respond to messages right away.

Samsung, as the number one smartphone manufacturer in the Netherlands, felt responsible for addressing this problem. Furthermore, it’s in Samsung’s DNA to create mobile technology that has an impact and makes a social difference.

So, we focused on finding a way of relieving the pressure people feel to be available all the time, even while in traffic. However, we didn’t do this by advising people against using their smartphone in traffic, or even forbidding it. That has been proven to be ineffective, and it’s not the Samsung way.

Our goal was to get people to stop worrying about their smartphones while they’re behind the wheel. With this in mind, we created an app that quietly takes over when you’re in traffic. After a simple onboarding, the app automatically takes over whenever you start driving or cycling.

The notification sounds are automatically turned off and all messages for the connected social apps (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, e-mail and calls) are answered with an In-Traffic Reply.

We created a series of In-Traffic Replies starring an emoticon character who keeps texting behind the wheel. In each cartoon, the character finds himself in an impossible situation as a result of his lack of focus. These cartoons involve the recipient of the In-Traffic Reply message in keeping their friend or colleague safe, and promote the app in a natural way.