VIDEO: Maxis And Waze Use The Voice Of Children To Encourage Safer Driving

Maxis, the popular Malaysian telco company, intends to use a child’s voice to guide drivers via the Waze navigation app with the hope of reducing road accidents and deaths in the country. 

To remind drivers of the possibility of endangering the lives of children when driving recklessly, the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative would have the voice of children relay the usual turn-by-turn directions and alerts to drivers as part of a voice pack called ‘Safe Mode’.

“Heavy traffic reported ahead. Don’t text and drive ah,” or “All set, don’t forget your seatbelt,” or “Accident reported ahead. Please be careful, ok?”

The idea itself was conceived by Ensemble, the creative agency IPG Mediabrands. After conducting a study of their own, Maxis concluded that nine out of 10 parents tend to drive in a safer manner when having their kids in the car with them.

The Malaysian-made Safe Mode voice pack is reported to reach Waze users globally from June 24.

Eleanne Hattis, Waze head of APAC Sales said, “Safety is the utmost mission for any new feature or campaign Waze develops as we work together with citizens to improve their time in the car. We’re proud to work with Maxis on this project, amplifying a common goal to use mobile technology to promote safer roadways. People generally drive safer with children in the car, and we believe this is an attention-grabbing feature that will assist in spreading the cause.”  

This voice pack with children's voices is probably the polar opposite of having The Terminator give you directions on Waze, which is also very fun indeed.