Innovation to Put the Brakes on Texting While Driving

May 12, 2015 By IdeaConnection

Texting_while_Driving_(March_28,_2013)It seems remarkable, but there is a significant number of drivers on the roads who are texting while on the move. Not surprisingly, there has been a rise in the number of crashes caused by those who are distracted while thumbing the keypads of their mobiles.

The problem got one Florida Atlantic University professor thinking, and he’s come up with an invention that can block a driver from sending or receiving texts messages while they are behind the wheel.

 

Professor Daniel Raviv has patented his software program which is now being worked on by technology company Port Nexus.

Terminating Texting Feature

When fully developed, the program will prevent mobiles from sending and receiving messages if the car is moving faster than a specific speed. Passengers can continue texting because mobile carriers will be able to distinguish them from the driver.

There are some apps already on the market that block texts when the owner is driving.  What is so new about Raviv’s innovation is that it can tell the difference between who exactly is using the phone in a car.

GPS Innovation

According to the professor, his innovation doesn’t involve the installation of any software or hardware.  What he has come up with is a series of equations that increases the accuracy of a phone company’s GPS tracking feature, such that it can pinpoint the driver in the car, and prevent him or her from texting.

The technology is expected to be ready within the next few months and potentially could save millions of lives every year.  That is, if those drivers who do text can be persuaded to opt into the system.


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Reader Comments


Brilliant and simple idea. Combination of GPS and speed above certain minimum will act as a deterrent when the driver's phone is linked to Bluetooth of the car. It would be necessary to include passenger cannot override when alone in the car.
Posted by Girish Malhotra on July 20, 2015

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