Distracted Driving to Be Eliminated with Technology

After years of efforts proved that there is little the authorities can do to force drivers into not texting or talking on the phone while driving, a new approach might be tried later in the year, provided the results of a new study are conclusive. More precisely, if asking nicely doesn't work, then perhaps using technology against the distracted drivers might have an effect.

The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) will kick off a three-month study on how the phone filter/blocker technologies can be used to limit or even eliminate distracted driving.

Two types of devices will be tested during the study: application-on-device (phone) solutions, which are based on GPS technology and will detect if the owner of the phone and the phone itself is on the move, and then act accordingly, and software-based solutions, built into the vehicle.

The University, together with Cellcontrol, a company which specializes in both types of solutions described above, says it will be studying the acceptance of these systems over the coming months. We are sure that the acceptance for the systems will be near to zero, not because of the technologies themselves, but because of the GPS component which makes up the backbone of both.

After all, how many of you would be comfortable with having a tracking device, be it as benign as these two, in your phone or in your car?

“We believe this study of technologies to reduce distracted driving will yield insight into the importance of various technology attributes, and identify opportunities to improve future technologies aimed at making transportation safer,” said James Sayer, Ph.D. of UMTRI