| Oct 02 |
CellControl could curb distracted driving, cell phone accidentsby Bruce Westbrook
With thousands dead and hundreds of thousands injured as a result of cell phone accidents, a national summit on distracted driving addressed the issue this week. Now a new gadget also responds to the car carnage. It’s called CellControl. Introduced at the distracted driving summit in Washington, D.C., CellControl is a tiny device that can be attached to a car’s on board computer, a part of almost all vehicles built since 1996. After downloading CellControl’s software to a cell phone, the phone will cease functioning whenever the vehicle is in motion, though it will function when the vehicle is stopped. That’s right: No texting. No emails. No calling. No receiving calls. In short, no potentially fatal driving distractions. Of course, many who are guilty of driving while “intexticated” won’t want to pay the installation fee of around $50 and a $10 monthly subscription for CellControl — unless they recognize their addiction and truly want to help themselves, despite themselves. Such reluctance is why CellControl, at its outset, is being marketed to concerned parents and business fleet managers. They, at least, can exercise restraint for the persons for which they’re responsible, in this case teen drivers or employees. CellControl was developed by obdEdge LLC, a company based in Baton Rouge, LA. (The “obd” stands for on board diagnostics.) It’s the brainchild of Texan Robert Guba, who recognized that an estimated 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries yearly due to driving distractions called for major preventative action via devices such as CellControl. (A Utah company, Safe Driving Solutions LLC, is marketing a special key for stemming calls while driving, but its system has more limitations.) So far, 18 states and the Distract of Columbia have made texting while driving illegal, and momentum for new laws is growing. But individual action also is needed. In fact, Guba realizes that, even with CellControl, parents must caution teens against using a friend’s cell phone while driving. Even CellControl can do only so much. Currently CellControl is available for use only with BlackBerry. But within months it’s expected to be compatible with up to 90 percent of all cell phones and other personal communications devices. An exception will be iPhone, which does not provide access to its operating system. Meanwhile, a nation of distracted drivers continues to suffer. But at least the problem is being recognized and actions are being taken — before it’s too late for too many. Jim S. Adler & Associates supports Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other safe driving campaigns. 3 Responses to “CellControl could curb distracted driving, cell phone accidents”Leave a Reply |
The world is dangerous enough beyond our control, yet many of us also need protection from ourselves. That includes the millions of Americans who blithely chat on cell phones, send and receive texts and otherwise disengage from their primary — and life-protecting — task of driving a car.
DWI interlocks seem to be a great way to discourage offenders from repeating their drinking and driving ways. Has anyone looked into how distracted these same drivers are when they are required to perform random “rolling retests”? My experience with this it is at least as distracting as texting while driving and perhaps even more so more. Rolling retests are an effective way to ensure that the “right” person is indeed the driver but the danger imposed by this distraction needs to be researched further.
It wont be enough to stop it unfortunately. Much like drunk driving laws. to many people think they are either entitled to use their device, or its not a distraction to them just to everyone else. if it has a chance to make a difference, its gonna have to be one bitch of a law, with harsh penalties that are immediate !!! if not, no one will pay attention, and it will become just another re-election talking point !