Vodafone has deployed the DriveSafe solution from SMS service and infrastructure vendor Telsis. The all-phones solution – which, the company says, is the first of its type – will be offered for free to the operators 2.5m customers in New Zealand.

DriveSafe discourages texting while driving – which became illegal in the country two years ago – by automatically replying to received text messages with a short operator-branded reply. The network service is suitable for all phones, as it doesnt require an app or configuration – just short commands, sent via SMS to the network, to enable and disable the service.

“Vodafone DriveSafe is designed to take the pressure off when you’re driving and you get a text message. It lets the sender know that you can’t reply immediately, without you needing to take your eye off the road,” says Vodafone’s director of sales Grant Hopkins. “We’re pleased to be able to bring innovations like this to New Zealand and hope it will help drivers think carefully about their actions.”