Key2SafeDriving: Keeps cell phone habits under check when you are on the wheels

Filed in archive Implementation on December 26, 2008

A majority of road accidents are caused due to usage of cell phones on the wheels but very few of us care about it and continue using it even though it is an offense in several countries. There have been several cases where distractions caused due to ringing of cell phone while driving have been the cause of several deaths. In spite of this people are still not taking heed from such episodes and continue flouting traffic norms risking not only their lives but also of other people on the road.

Realizing that people have still not learnt from these statistics, researchers from University of Utah have developed a device which ensures you don't make or receive calls while on the wheels. Dubbed as Key2SafeDriving car device, it disables cell phones when a specially engineered car key is inserted in the ignition of the car. It connects wirelessly via RFID or Bluetooth and disables the phone while driving so that the driver can neither make calls or text messages except for emergency 911 calls or any other important number. Incoming calls would be greeted by a response stating 'I am driving now'. Its only when the ignition is turned off the cell phone would start functioning normally.

Xuesong Zhou has a feeling it would find a lot of takers among parents of young children who don't feel like listening to their warnings of safe driving and following traffic rules. As of now there are no plans to commercialize it but whenever it's done I believe lot of responsible citizens would be willing to adopt it.