Statistics have placed young drivers as the most vulnerable
to driving distractions such as talking with passengers, eating or drinking,
talking or texting on wireless phones, which increase their chance of getting
involved in car accidents.
Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a
system that can solve of least one of those problems, possibly the most blamed
for accidents: cell phone use. At the end of this week, they introduced a car
ignition key which bans teens from using their cell phones while driving, by
simply connecting to their cell phone via Bluetooth or RFID (radio-frequency
identification) and placing it into “driving mode.” The system is called Key2SafeDriving.
The key doesn’t block however emergency services, so the
teen drivers will be able to call 911 or numbers approved by their parents. The
system allows the cell phone to be used normally once the car engine has
stopped. While driving, incoming calls will be answered automatically with the
message: “I am driving now. I will call you later when I arrive at the
destination safely,” researchers said.
For those thinking: Oh my God, will I ever be able to use my
cell phone while I’m driving?...the answer is yes, as long as you’re using a
hands-free device, and you’re an adult. That privilege is restricted to adults
simply because as much as they would be willing to block their children from
using phones while driving, they won’t be as excited about having their own
communication system blocked.
According to a University of Utah study, using cell phones
can slow down traffic. The study found the drivers were distracted by the phone
conversation and made fewer lane changes, and drove 2 to 3 percent more slowly
in medium and highly congested traffic.
Moreover, the study said hands-free phones are as dangerous
as the hand-held phones, as they diminish drivers’ skills and attention. But,
researchers mentioned, even if the hands-free use while driving is considered
to be unsafe, giving adults the power to limit cell phone calls is a step in
the right direction.
If we look at statistics provided by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teens are more likely to speed drive, or
get distracted when driving. Furthermore, at least half the parents are worried
about their children’s reckless speed-driving, and more than one third of them
are concerned about their children not using a safety belt.
The Key2SafeDriving system may not solve all of these
problems, but if the automobile industry is willing to back this technology, it
could be an important step toward reducing the risk of accidents among teen
drivers.
In October this year, Ford introduced a similar technology
which adds parental controls to cars, called MyKey. The system encourages not
only safe driving, but also an efficient fuel usage, and the safety-belt usage.
Furthermore, the system offers parents an option to limit speed and audio
volume to cars, but at the same time, it is not trying to discourage teenagers
from driving.
