|
Videos
July 30, 2012 By News Staff
Driving while talking on the phone is as good as driving drunk in terms of reaction time, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last year there were 3,000 fatal traffic accidents caused by distracted driving. Several states and cities have opted to combat the problem by limtiing or prohibiting talking on the phone and text messaging while behind the wheel.
University researchers also are working on deterrents that are built into the phones themselves. Engineers at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the Stevens Institute of Technology developed a mobile app to reduce driver distraction.
Rutgers says the app works by first determining which seat in the car the user is sitting in by using a stereo sound system equipped with Bluetooth. If the user is in the front passenger seat, the phone works normally. If the user is sitting in the driver’s seat, the phone’s behavior profile changes. When the app is activated, the phone can silently forward incoming calls and texts for later retrieval, automatically respond with an “I am driving” message, and make exceptions for urgent calls or texts. For outgoing communication, texting can be disabled, but calling could be made less difficult by simplifying the phone’s interface or by displaying a large-font list of often-called contacts.
You can’t force people not to use their phones, but many people can’t resist the urge to pick up the phone when they hear a text chime, said Marco Gruteser, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rutgers. This app is for the responsible driver who can’t resist the temptation. “We’re making it easier for people who want to drive less distracted,” he said.
For more detail about the app, visit the Rutgers University website.
You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.govtech.com/transportation/Rutgers-Against-Distracted-Driving.html
Collaborative Justice: Transforming Criminal Justice Services Through Unified Collaboration
Cloud-Based Services Accelerate Public Sector Adoption of Video Collaboration
Glad to see someone with a real approach that can make inroads into the problem rather than legislation that's hard to enforce and generally ignored by the ones most susceptible to these distractions. Eventually the "driver's seat" block on text messaging could be a default setting. Or simply default to "no distractions" mode when moving over a certain speed based on tower triangulation with an opt-out on the screen for passengers.
Agree with Gonzo..cell providers should be required to block calls from moving cellphones. It's about time that the government protected us, the citizens at risk, instead of cellphone provider profits. You should also correct the article - there have been many more than 3000 cellphone induced accidents, most states don't keep records, and BTW, "responsible" drivers don't reach for the phone, despite the temptation.
Look at Stoptxting.com They may have the answer
This is what I told each of my children when they got their license. "What is different about driving than any other thing that you do on a daily basis"? Answer: "IT'S A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION!" Bottom line is that when driving your number one focus should be driving, not texting, talking, drinking coffee, putting on makeup, shaving etc. The drivers that really should use the APP won't. I don't use my phone while driving and tell my family that if it is an emergency call back and I will pull over to take the call.