Article by George Norman

On 10 Dec 2010

I have to start off by telling you that I am big, big fan of the British TV show Top Gear . I remember that during one episode, Clarkson was competing in some challenge and had to balance speed and fuel economy, so he pointed out that the music you listen to influences the way you drive. So while going uphill he would listen to some Margaret Thatcher speeches (if memory severs me right), while downhill he would listen to metal songs. The reasoning here is that by pressing hard on the gas peddle while going uphill you are wasting fuel, but by pressing the gas pedal while going downhill, you are not.

The more important conclusion is that sometimes you can enjoy a song so much that you forget to check your speed and find yourself doing 70 when you thought you were doing 50. There is an iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch app out there that prevents you from stepping too hard on the gas pedal when you’re listening to music.


The app is appropriately called Slow Down (iTunes link), works with iOS 4.1 or later powered devices, and does not cost a thing. The app was created by OVK (Ouders van Verongelukte Kinderen - which translates to Parents of Children Killed in Road Accidents according to Google Translate).

The Slow Down app allows you to listen to your favorite tracks while driving. You can create playlists, and you can select a playlist you want to listen to while driving. Nothing too interesting so far, right? Here comes the interesting part: the application uses GPS to determine your speed. If you are in a 50 miles an hour zone and you’re doing 55, the app will not play the music as usual – it will slow it down. If you don’t take your foot off the speed pedal and reach 60, the app will stop playing music altogether.

It is an interesting means of realizing when you’re speeding. The music slows down when you’re a few miles over the speed limit, and stops altogether when you’re 10 miles over the speed limit.

If my explanation was not clear enough for you, the app’s developer posted a video on vimeo.



Please note that the app does not automatically detect the speed limit for the road you’re on. You have to manually enter the speed limit.



Tags: Slow Down, OVK, Apple, iPhone, App

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