MADD Tennessee and splitsecnd Partner to Further Teen Driver Safety

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Nov 13, 2014) - MADD Tennessee, the Tennessee chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and splitsecnd, developer of the nation's first plug-in crash detection device for vehicles, today announced a partnership to help improve safe driving among students in Tennessee. The partnership will officially kick off with a joint event at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 14 at St. Cecilia Academy.

Under the partnership, splitsecnd will sponsor MADD Tennessee's signature school programs POWER of YOU(TH) and POWER of PARENTS, which aim to enable teens and parents to make smart choices when it comes to alcohol use and safety. Representatives of splitsecnd will present to students and parents as part of the program. MADD Tennessee and splitsecnd also will work together to create and execute original campaigns to further their mutual goal in making the roads safer for all Tennesseans.

In the 2013-14 school years, MADD reached 14,000 students across Tennessee through POWER of YOU(TH) and POWER of PARENTS and anticipates reaching even greater numbers through its collaboration with splitsecnd.

"At MADD we are intently focused on helping teenagers understand the dangers they face on the road, most especially if drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs or distracted by cell phones," said Kate Ritchie, state program director at MADD Tennessee. "splitsecnd shares our conviction, and has designed a device that provides protections for teens who are on the road and peace-of-mind for their parents. splitsecnd is a natural partner for MADD Tennessee and we look forward to working with them this school season and beyond."

splitsecnd is a simple safety product that can be plugged into the 12V outlet of any vehicle, no matter the make, model, or year. One splitsecnd device gives a driver multiple safety features: crash response, a panic button, and an app-enabled GPS locator system.

The splitsecnd device is especially relevant to families with teen drivers who are just learning to navigate the roads. Parents can rest assured that if their young driver is in a crash, the device will alert emergency responders immediately and send them to the location of the vehicle. splitsecnd also allows parents to identify the location and safety of their driver from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. In addition, parents of teens on Android-enabled phones can use splitsecnd to see if he or she is texting or using the phone in any other way while driving.

The partnership with MADD Tennessee comes on the heels of splitsecnd's SafeSummerTN program which just completed its inaugural summer season. Through SafeSummerTN, splitsecnd gave away 100 of its devices to Middle Tennessee families with teen drivers, and anonymously monitored driving habits to better understand teen summer driving trends. Key research findings for teen drivers ranging from 16 to 19 (average of 16 years, 8 months old) included:

• Male and female drivers have the same driving habits throughout the summer.
• Peak driving hours for teens fall between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. during the summer.
• The 6:00 p.m. hour is almost double all other driving hours for teens.

The success of SafeSummerTN inspired splitsecnd to continue outreach to students and their parents during the school year in collaboration with MADD Tennessee. Through its work with MADD, splitsecnd anticipates collecting further anonymous data about teen driving habits which may prove useful to public safety officials working to decrease crashes and deaths among teen drivers.

"MADD is universally lauded as one of the top organizations in the United States dedicated to making the roads a safer place for all drivers," said Mel Taylor, CEO of splitsecnd. "We are honored and privileged to partner with MADD Tennessee on its teen and parent education programs and look forward to reaching new audiences as we work to improve safety for all drivers in the state."

"Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death of teenagers in America which is why this partnership is so important to our company," added Taylor. "We learned more about teen driving habits through SafeSummerTN, but we also realize there is much more to learn. This partnership with MADD Tennessee provides that opportunity to gather further data and help protect our teen drivers."

The kick-off event at St. Cecilia Academy on November 14 will feature presentations by Taylor of splitsecnd and Phaedra Mariott-Olsen of MADD who will promote an open discussion on keeping children safe behind the wheel over the busy holiday season. The talk is open to alumnae, parents and friends of St. Cecilia Academy.

"We look forward to welcoming MADD and splitsecnd to St. Cecilia to address an issue that is always a top priority for our school, students and parents -- keeping safe on the road," said Sister Anne Catherine, O.P., principal of St. Cecilia. "We greatly appreciate their willingness to share their advice on how we can all play a more active role in the future of our youth, not just within the halls of our school, but throughout the greater Nashville community."

To learn more about MADD Tennessee's POWER of YOU(TH) and POWER of PARENTS programs, and how you can request speakers for your school visit http://www.madd.org/local-offices/tn/madd-smart-program.html.

For more information on splitsecnd or to order a device visit www.splitsecnd.com.

About splitsecnd

splitsecnd is the most affordable, simple and effective crash detection device on the market. The device immediately calls emergency responders if you are in a crash and directs them to where you are. It also allows you to monitor the whereabouts of a driver you care about from any smartphone, tablet or computer; and allows drivers to call for help 24/7 with the push of a button. splitsecnd comes right out of the box ready to plug into the 12V outlet of any car, no matter the make, model or year.

About MADD

Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every 8.6 minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP. For more on MADD Tennessee visit http://www.madd.org/local-offices/tn/