In the past, I have written about the dangers of driving while talking on a cellphone or texting. As a personal injury lawyer who reads studies that link cellphone use to accidents, I know drivers who operate their cars and trucks while chatting on cellphones or texting can sometimes be as dangerous as those who drive while intoxicated.
Some states, like Virginia, have enacted statutes that proscribe cellphone use or texting while driving, but only under certain circumstances. Some states have laws that are more stringent than others. In Virginia, for example, it is against the law for a driver with a provisional driver's license (typically a teenager) to use a cellphone while operating a motor vehicle.
Unfortunately for some drivers, the frequent use of cellphones while driving to school, work, and the mall is a hard habit to break. Although limiting cellphone use is simple - just press the "off" button - many Americans find this almost impossible to do. Now some high-tech gadgets have come to the rescue.
New companies with names like Zoomsafer, Aegis Mobility, and obdEdge are offering technology which automatically disables cellphones carried in moving vehicles. Let's say you are driving your child to school and have your cell phone with you. You may have left the device "on." However, once your car starts moving, the new gadgets will disable your phone so that no one can call you and you can't call out either.
How do these systems work? They restrict the use of phones based on information derived from one or more of the following sources: the phone's GPS signal, data that comes from the car itself, or information picked up by nearby cellphone towers. What happens once the system detects you're driving and trying to use your phone? Incoming calls are re-routed to voice mail or a standard message will tell the listener the phone's owner is driving.
There are customers for these devices although not necessarily the drivers themselves. Employers sometimes want to make sure their drivers adhere to company bans on cellphone use. Some have found these bans help reduce the accident rate for their drivers and ultimately help lower liability insurance premiums. Then there are parents who understand how dangerous it is for teenagers to drive while talking on cellphones or texting. They want to find out if and when their teens are using cellphones when they shouldn't be.
Auto liability insurance companies are supporters of the new technology. Nationwide has indicated that customers who employ one company's call-blocking service may be eligible for a 5% discount on premiums. Other insurance companies are contemplating similar offers.
Yes, there are ways a driver can override one of these new systems. However, when this happens, some companies offering the new technology will automatically send e-mail messages to account administrators notifying them the cellphone is in use while the car is moving. This can spell trouble for a driver when the account administrator is a parent or employer!
Of course, the best and cheapest solution to the problem of using your cellphone while driving is self discipline. Press your cellphone's "off" button before you enter your car and keep it in the "off" position until you reach your destination.
Some states, like Virginia, have enacted statutes that proscribe cellphone use or texting while driving, but only under certain circumstances. Some states have laws that are more stringent than others. In Virginia, for example, it is against the law for a driver with a provisional driver's license (typically a teenager) to use a cellphone while operating a motor vehicle.
Unfortunately for some drivers, the frequent use of cellphones while driving to school, work, and the mall is a hard habit to break. Although limiting cellphone use is simple - just press the "off" button - many Americans find this almost impossible to do. Now some high-tech gadgets have come to the rescue.
New companies with names like Zoomsafer, Aegis Mobility, and obdEdge are offering technology which automatically disables cellphones carried in moving vehicles. Let's say you are driving your child to school and have your cell phone with you. You may have left the device "on." However, once your car starts moving, the new gadgets will disable your phone so that no one can call you and you can't call out either.
How do these systems work? They restrict the use of phones based on information derived from one or more of the following sources: the phone's GPS signal, data that comes from the car itself, or information picked up by nearby cellphone towers. What happens once the system detects you're driving and trying to use your phone? Incoming calls are re-routed to voice mail or a standard message will tell the listener the phone's owner is driving.
There are customers for these devices although not necessarily the drivers themselves. Employers sometimes want to make sure their drivers adhere to company bans on cellphone use. Some have found these bans help reduce the accident rate for their drivers and ultimately help lower liability insurance premiums. Then there are parents who understand how dangerous it is for teenagers to drive while talking on cellphones or texting. They want to find out if and when their teens are using cellphones when they shouldn't be.
Auto liability insurance companies are supporters of the new technology. Nationwide has indicated that customers who employ one company's call-blocking service may be eligible for a 5% discount on premiums. Other insurance companies are contemplating similar offers.
Yes, there are ways a driver can override one of these new systems. However, when this happens, some companies offering the new technology will automatically send e-mail messages to account administrators notifying them the cellphone is in use while the car is moving. This can spell trouble for a driver when the account administrator is a parent or employer!
Of course, the best and cheapest solution to the problem of using your cellphone while driving is self discipline. Press your cellphone's "off" button before you enter your car and keep it in the "off" position until you reach your destination.
Labels: motor vehicle accidents