Researchers develop system to block phone use while driving

Jul 6, 2012
Researchers develop system to block phone use while driving

We all know about the dangers of talking on the phone or texting while driving, and researchers from India’s Anna University of Technology in Tamilnadu have now developed a new system that actually blocks mobile phone signals while an individual is driving. The trickier part has to do with taking away the driver’s ability to use a phone while still allowing mobile phone signals to be used by other passengers in the vehicle.

Some would argue that holding a phone or texting is the only thing that makes it so dangerous, but the Indian researchers point out that the conversations themselves also negatively affect drivers’ full attention on the road. The new system is able to determine whether or not the driver is using a phone while the vehicle is actually moving and then sets off a mobile jammer that blocks phone signals. Other passengers should still be able to use their phones since the jammer is low-range.

Countless laws have been put in places around the world that limit people from using their phones while driving. The researchers say that a system like this may also be able to one day be used to report traffic problems or illegal actions by transmitting a vehicle’s registration information to a traffic signal post where authorities could access them.

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