How to mount your phone for driving apps (safely and accurately)

A driving app is only as good as the data it gets from your phone. A loose phone sliding around the car can look like hard braking or a sharp turn. A well-placed mount gives cleaner readings and keeps the phone out of your hands.

Why mounting matters

Road Rank uses GPS for speed and distance, and your phone’s motion sensors to detect braking, acceleration and turns. If the phone is loose, its own movement gets mixed in with the car’s. A phone falling off a seat can produce a spike that looks like an emergency stop.

Good places for a phone

• A dashboard or windscreen mount low in your line of sight, where it does not block your view of the road.
• An air-vent mount that clips firmly and does not wobble.
• A cradle built into the car, if your car has one.

Wherever you put it, the phone should not move when you go over bumps or around corners.

Places to avoid

• Loose on the passenger seat.
• In a cup holder where it can rattle and tip.
• On your lap or in your hand.
• Anywhere that blocks your view of the road, mirrors or airbags.

Check your local law

Rules about phones in cars differ between countries and states. In many places you may only use a phone hands-free and it must be fixed in a cradle. Some places also restrict where a mount can be placed on the windscreen. Check the rules where you drive.

Set it up before you go

1. Mount the phone and start the drive in Road Rank while parked.
2. Make sure the recording notification is showing.
3. Drive. Do not touch the phone.
4. When you arrive and park, end the drive and review your score.

You can switch to other apps such as navigation while a drive is recording. Road Rank keeps recording in the background and shows a notification until you pause or end the drive.

Battery tips

GPS uses battery. For long drives, use a car charger. A phone that gets very hot in direct sunlight on a windscreen may slow down, so a shaded mount or vent mount can help in summer.

A note for passengers

If someone else is in the car, let them handle the phone. That is the safest way to use any app while a car is moving.