Operating a vehicle while using a cell phone can be distracting, potentially dangerous and increasingly illegal. New technology aims to address this problem.

By Salvatore Salamone

Most of us are wed to our mobile phones these days. Unfortunately, many of us can't bear to be out of contact with friends or work, even while driving. And increasingly, that means people are texting while driving — an incredibly distracting practice that diverts at least one hand, and both eyes, from the road. Even if we are careful, it's a natural instinct to check an incoming message.

For those who want to curb such potentially dangerous behavior, a number of technology solutions are starting to emerge that leverage the GPS, accelerometer or other capabilities of mobile phones to provide a level of control.

The offerings are aimed at two groups: parents who want to control their teenagers' use of mobile phones while driving and adults who simply want a reminder or mechanism in place to help ensure they follow safer driving practices.

Some solutions are software-only and work in conjunction with the phone; others are service offerings from mobile phone carriers. The common element in all of the offerings: Communications can be cut off when a phone is determined to be in motion and traveling at the speed of a moving car (versus, say, a person walking or running with their phone). Here's how and why this safer texting and calling technology came about.

Cell Phone Use While Driving: a Growing Problem

For years, people have talked on their cell phones while driving, and accident rates spiked. In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers using phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. As a result, many states put laws into place that required use of a headset or speakerphone to enable "hands-free" usage.

Now, there is a growing problem with people texting while driving, and many states are passing laws that ban the practice altogether.

How big is the problem? About 46 percent of teens admitted they text while driving, according to a 2007 AAA study. Many believe the problem is worse today, because texting rates have exploded in the last year. In fact, among cell phone users, texting surpassed phone calls for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2007. And since then, the volume of text messages increased by 64 percent, while the average number of calls has dropped, according to the market research organization Nielsen Mobile.

This is indeed a problem because texting while driving impacts reaction times severely. One 2008 study of drivers aged 17 to 24 used a simulator and found:

• Reaction times slowed by 35 percent when they were writing or reading text messages. In comparison, reaction time for teens at the legal alcohol limit "only" deteriorated by 12 percent. In other words, the impact on reactions times when texting is about three times that of alcohol.
• Steering control worsened by 91 percent for those who were distracted by texts.
• Texters had a harder time maintaining safe distances from other cars, and they drifted out of their lane more often.

The study was commissioned by England's RAC Foundation, which started out as the research arm of the Royal Automobile Club of England and now serves a wider role that includes researching and promoting issues of safety, mobility, economics and the environment.

Other studies have found similarly serious results.

Regrettably, the problems of phoning and texting while driving are not limited to teenagers or busy parents. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made restricting the use of cell phones by motor coach drivers one of its top safety priorities for 2009.

Technology Offers Safer Texting and Calling Options While Driving

For parents, transportation companies, and anyone else who recognizes the need to control the use of cell phones by drivers, varied technology solutions are starting to emerge. A sampling of these solutions includes:

• Key2SafeDriving – Researchers at the University of Utah have developed what they are calling Key2SafeDriving technology. The heart of this solution is a wireless key device. Drivers would have their own key associated with their phone. To drive the car, the key must be detached from the phone. When the key is removed, a signal is sent to the phone. This puts the phone into a driving mode so it cannot be used to talk or send texts. Calls to 911 and parent-approved numbers are allowed. One advantage of this technology is that passengers' phones (those with the key still attached to the phone) can talk and text. The university has licensed this technology to a private company that expects products to be available this year.
• Textecution – Technology company eLYK Innovation has developed a program called Textecution for Google's Android mobile phone platform. The software uses a phone's GPS system to detect when the phone is moving faster than 10 mph. Once that speed or higher is detected, the software deactivates the phone's SMS (Short Message Service), or text message, capabilities. This software is available now for $9.95 through the Textecution site.
• Speed-based blocking – Some wireless providers are developing services that determine a cell phone's speed via information derived from the various cell towers in proximity to the phone. With these provider-based approaches, the idea is to marry the blocking of calls and text messages with the cell phone service itself. When a phone is determined to be moving at driving speeds, calls and text messages are blocked by the service company. Those sending messages to the driver will get a message noting the person is not reachable because they are driving. Some implementations of these services will offer a by-pass option for emergency messages to get through. Such services are under development and industry experts expect some will be available this year.

As is the case whenever safety is at stake, technological solutions should be complemented with education and guidance. Parents should teach their teens about the distractive nature and dangers of talking or texting while driving — and parents should follow their own advice, too. They should also point to the numerous state laws that place restrictions on these dangerous activities, and encourage safe driving practices overall.

Salvatore Salamone is an executive editor at Ziff Davis Enterprise. He has more than 20 years of experience writing about science and technology for major industry trade magazines and is the author of three business technology books.