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Applications to Prevent Texting While Driving May Help Minimize Accident Risks

The Associated Press is reporting on efforts by some companies to develop applications that can restrict texting while driving. However, these efforts have met with limited success, as cell phone and wireless carriers have stayed away from the scene.

No one can deny that distracted driving is a major safety issue in the 21^st century. In fact, many experts believe distracted driving is the “drunk driving” of our time. Everyone knows that there are dangers associated with texting while driving. However, the numbers of such people who continue their texting addiction into their cars, remains high.

Several states have passed bans on texting while driving. California has banned text messaging and the use of hand held cell phones while driving. The federal administration this year passed an immediate ban on truck drivers text messaging while driving. However, most efforts centering on distracted driving seem to involve legislations that penalize violators. There has been little non-legislative action against distracted driving.

A few companies however, are using innovative technologies to come up with applications that can prevent a motorist from sending or receiving text messages while he is driving.  One company, Drive Safely Corp. is developing a software program that will be integrated into a cell phone. The software will detect when the user is traveling at more than 50 mph. It will then prevent him from sending or receiving text messages.  The only glitch seems to be getting the software to check if it is a motorist or passenger who is using the cell phone. That has not proved so easy to do.

Right now, the software developers are using a difficult combination of letters and numbers to fix this problem. The cell phone will flash this combination, and the user must match the combination with the keypad. The developers hope that a motorist will be too busy driving to attempt to match the difficult domination.

California injury lawyers have one major concern with this application. A person who desperately wants to use a cell phone is not likely to let a series of numbers and alphabets get in his way. A motorist traveling on a highway using his free hand to match a difficult combination of numbers and letters on a cell phone, is at a much higher risk of distraction than if he was not using the application in the first place.

While smaller companies have had limited success in developing such applications, the major players like the wireless and cell phone companies have thus far stayed out of this field. That has been very disappointing to California accident lawyers. AT&T’s efforts at tackling the problem of texting and driving has been limited to a much talked-about campaign that flashes the last text messages victims of accidents sent or received just before the crash. While the campaign is effective, injury lawyers in California believe the company could be doing a lot more to tackle this problem.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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