A Colorado company has taken action to help prevent the mortal practice of texting while driving. A former chemical engineer initiated development of an anti-texting technology, in the form of a device, in 2008, after an executive with whom he planned to meet was killed by a distracted driver. According to the engineer, the at-fault driver in that incident was texting and driving at the same time.
Reportedly, the device evolved into a system linked with phone carriers that ultimately stops text delivery in a moving vehicle. The unit consists of a small box that a driver can connect to a socket beneath a steering wheel. After the device is connected, the driver then sends a message to the wireless carrier, which in turn prevents both incoming and outgoing messages from appearing on the driver’s cellphone, authorities report.
The system runs using Global Positioning System technology along with a vehicle’s telecommunication and mobility system. The combination creates a wireless alert that signals when the car is moving. This system also helps determine who is driving the vehicle, reportedly.
Sprint is one of the phone carriers working in concert with the company behind the new technology. The insurance company American Family Insurance has reportedly given its support to the new device. That, in part, is because motor vehicle accidents involving drivers distracted by their cellphones account for thousands of deaths and fatalities across the nation each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People who suffer damages in connection with an accident caused by a distracted driver may seek recourse in civil court. By retaining a personal injury lawyer and filing suit against the distracted driver, injured victims may seek restitution for hospital bills, medical costs and other economic losses they suffered as a result of the incident.
Source: NationSwell, “A Technological Solution to Texting While Driving“, Courtney Subramanian, September 18, 2014