New Key Prevents Drivers From Using Mobile Phones

A new computerized car key that prevents people from talking on mobile phones or text messaging while driving will soon be available.  Once slipped into a car’s ignition, the "Key2SafeDriving" works by sending a wireless signal to a driver’s mobile phone that blocks calls and texting. 

"If you’re in driving mode, you can’t talk or text — period," explains a character in a YouTube video demonstrating the new product, as he speaks to a friend trying without luck to send a text message while driving a car.

University researcher Xuesong Zhou and Dr. Wallace Curry created the new device, which is being marketed as a way for parents to prevent teenage drivers from focusing their attention on anything other than the road. 

It is one among many new technologies being used to prevent dangerous driving.  Others include products that prevent car engines from starting until the driver passes a dashboard breath-alcohol test or a reaction-time test on their mobile phone.

Ford Motor Co. unveiled its "MyKey" device in October, which allows parents to control how fast their teenagers drive, ensure their seat belts are fastened and limit the volume on the car radio.  The device will be a standard feature beginning next year on the 2010 Ford Focus and other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, the company said.

And Global Positioning System (GPS) devices have been on the market for some time, allowing parents to track their teenage drivers.

Regulators throughout the country are also taking steps to prevent dangerous driving, with a growing number of states enacting laws against teenagers using cellphones while driving.

According to traffic statistics, mobile phone use while driving is equivalent to alcohol use in terms of altering drivers’ judgment and slowing their reaction times.

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On the Net:

• Key2SafeDriving