Keep Your Eyes on the Road and Hands on the Wheel

I know I see it more and more, and it irritates me all the time. You are driving down the road, and the car in front of you is going way slower than all the cars around them, and often times not even the posted speed limit. So, I change lanes and pass them, and in glancing over - yep - you guessed it, they are talking on their cell phone or glancing up and down as they text on it. Cell phone related accidents accounted for 25,000 injuries and deaths in 2009. Some states are outlawing the use of phones while driving. New technology now makes it possible for you to do it yourself, to your car, or a family member's car (like those teenage kids of yours).

The Protector by Taser, is a fairly new technology that allows you to make your cell phone a hands-free function only while within the car itself. The small unit plugs into your car's diagnostic port, and when the driver turns on the ignition, the device connects to your phone with a Bluetooth connection to access an app on your phone that disables all functions that are not classified as hands-free, such as texting. Have one of these installed in the family cars, and all family members will be unable to be distracted like so many are these days.

On top of this safety factor, the device also has a SIM card and GPS chip that can generate and transmit location information, which is helpful if your vehicle ever comes up missing. It can also detect if the unit has experienced a force in excess of 3 G's, and will generate an alert that is viewable by the console of the software, as well as sending an email to an administrator.

I can see how something like this may become standard issue in new cars, especially if the cellphone-related accidents and deaths continue to rise.

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, mail order book store manager, and an avid musician who is active in two local bands. He is also a lover of books, having a large personal library and squeezes in as much reading as often as he can. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Tech Careers blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.