Finally, progress is being made in the face of mounting carnage on America’s roads due to driver distractions caused by cell phones. And it’s not what you might expect.

No, it’s not a new state law, such as those in New York and California, which bans using cell phones while driving without a headset that frees both hands. Rather, this progress comes in the form of a device which will disable cell phones for real-time talking, texting or receiving messages while that phone is moving at a speed associated with a vehicle.

A Canadian software company called Aegis Mobility has developed the device, which is called a DriveAssistT. In effect, it takes the decision to use a cell phone while driving out of the driver’s hands.

Just as a car breathalyzer can keep intoxicated drivers from starting their engine, the DriveAssistT keeps obsessive cell phone yakkers from talking, texting or receiving messages while driving. Expected to be available next year from phone carriers, the device and its service will cost families a projected $10 to $20 per month.

The DriveAssistT has a motion detector to determine if a cell phone is moving at, say, 30 miles per hour, or some other car speed. If that is the case, it alerts the cellular carrier to hold calls and text messages until the drive is done.

Callers will hear a recording which says it appears the person at the other end of the call is driving. They’ll have the option of sending an emergency voice mail that’s put through right away.

It’s sad that society and technology must go to such lengths to curb a clear and present danger to many thousands of Americans. About 42,000 people die on our roads each year, and cell phone distractions cause 7 per cent of traffic accidents.

Clearly, DriveAssistT isn’t the ultimate solution to the problem. It still requires voluntary use by a driver, who must pay for it, and it’s unlikely to become a widespread sensation. But at least it’s an option, and it helps people who compulsively answer a phone in heavy traffic to help themselves.

It also should be a welcome alternative for parents, who can use the service to regulate phone use in cars driven by their teen children.

The bottom line is that we’ll take all the help we can get, and this is bound to do some good.

Meanwhile, cell phone distractions remain a major threat on America’s roads. If you or a loved one has been harmed in an accident due to a cell phone distraction, contact a cell phone accident lawyer with Jim S. Adler & Associates for a free case review. Just be sure you aren’t driving when you do so.

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