State Farm is aiming to stop distracted drivers and prevent automobile accidents via an Android widget that sends automated responses to incoming text messages.

The On the Move widget lets texters know when a user is driving or busy. The service prevents drivers from reading and responding to text messages while on the road by composing and preloading customized messages that can be sent as automated responses.

?We want to improve safety while driving but also allow our customers the convenience of an auto response when they aren?t driving but may be otherwise unable to respond, such as in a meeting or at the gym,? said Matt Edwards, social media analyst at State Farm, Bloomington, IL.

?Really it?s for anyone who wants to be safer behind the wheel of their car and avoid distracted driving,? he said. ?We hope teens and adults alike will take advantage of this free feature to be safer.?

State Farm provides consumers car and home insurance, banking, annuities and mutual fund products.

Mobile is on your side
The service is free to users who have an Android device and is part of the company?s updated Pocket Agent Android application.

Users can personally create their own responses and save them to a library for future use.

The widget works with all incoming texts or can be limited to senders listed in the address book.

In addition, users can activate the service prior to getting in their vehicle.

?We felt the widget was the most user-friendly way to make this service available to the mobile user,? Mr. Edwards said. ?We are currently looking at ways to bring this feature to Pocket Agent on the iPhone and what could be done on other platforms as well.

?Since iPhone does not support widgets we?ll have to look at what our approach will be,? he said.

Cautionary widget
To activate the auto-response function, users can turn on the widget and compose a message or selected a preloaded message.

Incoming text messages are still received and can be accessed anytime.

?We have an internal communication plan to educate our agents and employees about this new feature,? Mr. Edwards said. ?We are leveraging social media by creating a video for YouTube, photos on Flickr and promoting it on our social properties on Facebook and Twitter.

?We are also reaching out to technology blogs and traditional media,? he said.

In June, State Farm introduced a new service that lets consumers get an insurance estimate by using their mobile device.

The company also launched an Android application that lets on-the-go consumers view policy, mutual funds and financial information (see story).

?In the next 6-8 weeks we?ll be releasing an update to our Steer Clear app on iPhone that will provide additional functionality to the app as well as see it released for Android,? Mr. Edwards said. ?Our Pocket Agent work will continue to look at improving State Farm Bank functionality.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York.