Introducing the New "Drive Safe Mode"
Even though checking your phone for emails or texts while driving still isn't considered to be as much of a crime as not fastening your seat belt or driving while under the influence, cell phone addicts might soon find themselves cell phone-less in their vehicles. And not by choice!
The United Kingdom's Department for Transport (DfT) has reported that they have recently started to develop a new technology which enables the blockage of mobile phones once a driver enters the vehicle. By implementing this new solution, drivers would be unable to use their phones while on the roads, as this new technology blocks all phone signals and disables all functions requiring an internet or telephone network connection.
The fact that last year more than 17,000 people had a court case involving mobile phone usage while driving, and that almost one in three drivers admitted to having used their phone previously while on the road, encouraged the members of the DfT to take their project to the next level. To discuss the future steps required to implement such systems in automobiles, ministers involved in the cause are meeting with representatives of the car manufacturing and telecommunication industry next year.
The goal is to change the attitude toward texting and driving, since people unfortunately find it acceptable to do so. By implementing this new technology, members of the cause aim to bring texting to the same level of social unacceptance as driving while drunk and not wearing a seat belt. The possible future regulation should be a strong deterrent, preventing the future generations from sharing the same wrongful and dangerous views on the effects of driving and texting.
The details of the new technology are still unclear, but smartphone manufacturers have also been encouraged to implement a new device mode which would be known as 'drive safe mode' - similar to flight mode. As governments have been promoting laws for texting and driving, which were hoped to be a deterrent strong enough, the new innovative technology might finally deliver the resolution they were after as the number of pro text & drive motorists is still on the rise.
While you might argue that the method applied by this new technology is too harsh, consider this fact first-- in the United States, 1 out of every 4 car accidents are caused by cell phone usage, while back in 2014, it was reported to be the biggest cause of road fatalities in the United Kingdom. A resolution is indisputably necessary!