A Louisiana company recently unveiled new technology that might help cut down on distracted driving from talking or texting on a mobile phone. DriveID from a company called Cellcontrol will stop a driver's mobile phone from working while that person is in the driver's seat. At the same time, DriveID will not affect other passengers' mobile devices.
Don Jergler for Insurance Journal quotes Cellcontrol's chief technology officer: "It's very accurate. Basically there's an imaginary wall that's dividing the vehicle and drivers on the other."
The driver must have his or her mobile device registered with the company in order for DriveID to work. This reality means that unless some rule or regulation requires that all drivers register for something like DriveID, not many ordinary drivers (unless you're a teenager forced by your parents) will be prevented, unless they volunteer for it, from using their mobile phones while behind the wheel.
But DriveID might work very well for fleet companies and other firms that employ drivers. By requiring those drivers to use DriveID, this could definitely help cut down on distracted driving. The CTO said, "Our bread and butter is in fleet sales." But don't expect that to be the end of the story.
Apparently Cellcontrol is working with auto insurers. So perhaps a rule or regulation won't be necessary after all. It doesn't take much to see lower insurance premiums in the future for those drivers who agree to use DriveID - and are therefore prevented from texting while driving and causing an auto accident.