Cambridge, MA – October 26, 2023 — Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the world’s leading telematics service provider, today announced that Jennifer Smith, the founder of StopDistractions.org and advocate for road safety, has joined its Road Safety Advisory Board. Smith is a globally recognized expert on road safety and hands-free legislation, leading the passage of numerous hands-free laws in the United States.

A distracted driver killed Jennifer Smith’s mother in 2008. Since then, she has dedicated her life to raising awareness and educating the public about the dangers of distracted driving. Through her non-profit organization, StopDistractions.org, she has supported families who have lost loved ones to distracted driving. 

Working with the National Transportation Safety Board, Smith has helped pass hands-free laws in 14 states since 2018. Her work has also helped enforce “no texting” laws in 49 states and hands-free laws in 29 states. Jennifer’s dedication has been recognized by the US. Department of Transportation, naming her a Woman in Transportation History, and by the United Nations.

“I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to contribute to such an important cause and to work with the CMT Road Safety Board and Chairperson Steve Kiefer. I’m excited about the Board’s potential to become a driving force for change and set new safety standards on our roads,” said Jennifer Smith. “With each new data point and every new insight, we move closer to a future where distracted driving becomes a thing of the past. I can’t wait to get started.” 

“Jennifer is truly a hero. She’s made incredible contributions to saving lives on our roads as a dedicated advocate for regulatory changes,” said Ryan McMahon, SVP of Strategy for CMT. “We are thrilled to have her join us on the CMT Road Safety Board and in our mission to make roads safer worldwide.”

Smith’s road safety work has gained her global recognition, including:

• The United Nations: The announcement for the UN’s texting and driving ban, alongside Secretary Ban Ki-moon and US Ambassador Susan Rice
• US Department of Transportation: Named a Woman in Transportation History
• Highway Safety Hero Award: Recognized by Advocates for High and Auto Safety
• Oprah: America’s New Deadly Obsession
• The New York Times: The series Driven to Distraction, which won a Pulitzer Prize
• Bloomberg: Smartphones Are Killing Americans, But Nobody’s Counting

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distracted driving killed 3,522 people in 2021, but says the true toll is likely much higher. Smith’s work passing hands-free laws has helped save lives. CMT estimates that the new hands-free laws in Ohio and Michigan have prevented at least 3,800 crashes and saved 10 lives to date.

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell®, gathers sensor data from millions of IoT devices — including smartphones, proprietary Tags, connected vehicles, dashcams, and third-party devices — and fuses them with contextual data to create a unified view of vehicle and driver behavior. Companies from personal and commercial auto insurance, automotive, rideshare, smart cities, wireless, financial services, and family safety industries use insights from CMT’s platform to power their risk assessment, safety, claims, and driver improvement programs. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb, CMT serves millions of people through over 95 programs in 25 countries, including 21 of the top 25 US auto insurers.