July 13, 2009

(SAN FRANCISCO) “Doing DriveSharp(tm) Road Tour(tm) and Jewel Diver(tm) exercises has made a difference in my driving. For example, the other day another car cut me off in the middle of the road, but I was able to react to it faster by hitting the brakes sooner,” said 49-year-old Maggie Sledge from San Antonio, TX. “I’ve always considered myself to be a safe driver, but it is comforting to know that I can respond to these incidences quicker since using the program.”

DriveSharp, a new addition to the Posit Science(r) award-winning family of brain fitness software, was released today to the public. Targeted to consumers who want to take control of their safety when driving, DriveSharp is clinically proven to train the brain to think and react faster on the road. This helps drivers feel more confident, capable and alert behind the wheel. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the non-profit research affiliate of AAA, announced today that it is recommending DriveSharp to enhance driver safety and AAA Clubs across the nation are promoting the product (see separate release.)

“We think DriveSharp is a great product to help people improve their driving decisions, especially in hazardous conditions,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “And DriveSharp has been scientifically validated to safely extend driving years.”

According to studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, using this technology cuts a person’s risk of an accident by 50 percent and speeds up how a driver processes what they see and how they react by 200 percent.

“Many brain functions including the visual behaviors that support good driving decline as we grow older, but that doesn’t mean the brain can’t be rejuvenated,” said world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Posit Science. “Using DriveSharp, visual skills supporting safer driving can be very significantly improved for almost all adult drivers. The AAAF’s review of this science has led them to endorse this training for adult drivers”

“Savvy boomers and mature adults want to exercise their brains going beyond traditional physical exercise options,” said Alvaro Fernandez, founding principal of market research firm SharpBrains. “The involvement of the AAA Foundation only reinforces the sharply rising importance of brain fitness software, especially for driving safety.”

DriveSharp consists of two interactive and challenging exercises that work together to change the brain’s ability to process what a user sees. This improvement helps a consumer focus better, keep track of more objects in their peripheral vision and react faster while driving. The DriveSharp software includes:

  • Jewel Diver, where the user tracks hidden jewels moving around the screen. As the ability to follow the jewels improves, so does the ability to keep track of multiple moving objects in real life, like pedestrians and other cars.
  • Road Tour, consumers take a trip along Route 66 with the task of identifying and locating road signs and different cars along the way. The placement and speed at which these images appear work to widen the field of vision and increase visual processing speed.

The clinical studies also found that users were able to improve their stopping distance by 22 feet at 55 miles per hour. In addition, they were able to expand their “useful field of view” – the area from which a person can see and understand what’s happening in a single glance. That means users can see and track multiple approaching objects sooner and react to them faster.

Pricing and Availability
DriveSharp retails for $139 and is available at www.PositScience.com. Participating AAA clubs are offering DriveSharp to members at the discounted price of $99 for a limited time only. Please contact your local club for details or visit www.DriveSharpnow.com.