In a bid to stop the multiple deaths that happen while using cell phones while driving, the U.S. Department of Transportation is reportedly mulling taking a harder line and using technology to block cell phones while driving.
“I think the technology is there,” said Raymond LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation. “And I think you’re going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones.”
This is likely LaHood just thinking out loud, as I think it’s outlandish to think the government will mandate car makers to include cell phone blocking technology. First of all, cell phone jammers are mostly illegal and I doubt the Federal Communications Commission will go out of its way to make this happen. Additionally, what will happen to the passengers in the car who want to safely use their phone while the car is in motion?
What that means is that there may be a huge market for software that curbs texting while driving and other in-car features. We’ve already seen a wealth of startups like TextArrest which produce software which will disable texting while driving and I’d expect to see many more in the next couple years.
I do admit that it will be tough to get consumers to install these types of programs on their own – we all know how dangerous it is to send messages while driving but we appreciate the convenience. I support some of the texting while driving bans but I don’t think that government requirements are truly needed.
Instead, I think handset makers and cellular carriers can make a better effort to raise awareness. LG, for example, has launched a campaign to discourage this practice and I think the major carriers could have a major impact by preloading this type of software on some of its smartphones.
What do you think, friends?
[Via Discovery News, photo]
