Driving While Distracted: Can Technology Solve The Problem It Caused?
Distracted Driving
Driving while distracted is dangerous and has been an issue since the Secretary of Transportation made it his mission to put a stop to this very dangerous behavior. There are currently 39 states, plus the District of Columbia that have a ban on texting while driving. An additional 10 states plus Washington DC ban handheld cell use while driving. Distracted driving has been attributed with causing over 3,000 deaths in 2010 alone. The question is, can technology help stop the problem? Also, be aware using a mobile device while driving is illegal in many states. Tickets will drive up your auto insurance rates.
Technology Options
There are many products available to help control distracted driving. Cellcontrol is an option that will disable texting, emailing, surfing the internet, playing games, Tweeting, posting to Facebook or Snapchat and taking selfies while driving your vehicle. The option to call 911 is always available. For more information please visit https://www.cellcontrol.com/stop-texting-while-driving-for-your-family
Most drivers are in favor of applications that help to prevent distracted driving. In a survey done by the National Safety Council, 2,400 drivers from all across the country were asked what they would do if their cell phones came with applications to block both outgoing and ingoing cell communications while driving. 55% of these drivers said they would leave the technology in place. Only 23% of the drivers said they would deactivate the applications.
There is a product called Groove which plugs into your car beneath the steering wheel and connects your device to the cloud. This lets your cell phone provider know when you are driving. Your provider will then block all emails, texts, social networking updates and prevent you from sending messages or posting on social media while you are driving. If someone tries to text a person who is driving, they will receive a notification that the recipient is driving right now. Once the car is turned off, all the messages come through in about ten seconds.
Free Technology Options
Most wireless providers now offer free applications to help with the problem. AT&T offers DriveMode, Sprint has Drive First and Verizon is using Safely Go. These applications will stop incoming calls and text messages. An auto reply will be sent to friends and family that you are driving. These applications also prevent texting while driving but not all applications block access to social networking. Some of these can detect who is driving while others will shut off alerts for the passengers in the car as well.
Some applications create zones. By using the Bluetooth connection, driver and passenger zones are created so the application knows where the phones are and when they move in the car. This can prevent passengers phones from being affected.
Distracted Teenage Driving
Another big problem is teenagers texting, playing with social media and talking while driving. Efforts are being taken to stop this dangerous behavior. Many of the people researching the technology to stop the problems specifically think like 16 or 17 year olds. They are trying to stay one or two steps ahead of the teenagers. If a teenager tries to disable, delete or pull a device off the windshield, the provider will know. This means often they can prevent this behavior.
Distracted Driving Foundation
There is now a non-profit foundation dedicated to the premise that mobile phone carriers and car makers should work together. By putting technology in all mobile phones and automobiles it is possible to block the drivers but not the passengers. The problem with distracted driving was caused by technology and must be corrected the same way. There have been many significant inroads made to help correct the problem. The Distracted Driving Foundation is an excellent start and can truly make a difference.
