Did you know at any given time approximately ten percent of teenage drivers are either talking or texting on their cell phones? Studies have shown that drivers who use cell phones are four times as likely to be involved in a crash, which is why many states have already banned their use while driving. Now researchers at the University of Utah are taking the case one step further by developing a device which disables cell phone usage while the key is in the ignition. Dubbed “Key2SafeDriving” the device affixes to car keys and uses bluetooth radio waves to signal cell phones to go into “driving mode” so long as the key is in the ignition. While in driving mode, drivers cannot use their phones to talk or text, except for calling 911 or other numbers pre-approved by parents. Incoming calls and texts are automatically answered with a message saying, “I am driving now. I will call you later when I arrive at the destination safely.”
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Tags: cell phone, driving, k2sd, key2safedriving, safe, texting, utah
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I think this is a fantastic idea. I also think this should be standard on all new cars, domestic & imports. It is not just the teens, but accidents involving adults talking on cell phones is up too !!!
December 16th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I think this is fantastic! Please get it done as quickly as possible. I love my teens who are truely addicted to their phones! I don’t want them or anyone else suffering because of this!