Spark

Can a child's voice in your GPS make you a better driver?

A GPS that switches to a child's voice aims to make the roads safer.
The Slow Down GPS is an app that switches to a child's voice when you drive near schools and daycares. (If Insurance)

This story first aired in September 2015.

Mikael Hellman and his colleagues at If Insurance in Stockholm, Sweden developed the Slow Down GPS, a navigation system that switches to a child's voice.  They believe children's voices should be standard in all GPS navigation systems in order to get people to slow down and be more aware in child-heavy zones.

But what is it about a child's voice that makes us pay better attention while driving? Linguist Molly Babel explains how a child's voice can influence our driving decisions.