Texting and driving is illegal in Utah. $750 fine and 6 Months jail time. www.key2safedriving.com
Teens are not the Only Culprit…
Through my research into the topic of distracted driving and the dangers of cell phone use while driving, I have found some pretty scary information. Many people now know that texting or using your phone while driving is about the same as driving while intoxicated. Many of us also know that most states are cracking down on this problem, enforcing strict laws and most of us know that teenagers are a primary target for “no phone zone” campaigns. What most people do not realize, however, is that adults are just as likely to text and drive as teenagers are. This is certainly not a good example for our kids! According to a BOHAN Advertising survey, 49% of moms text or use their cellphone while they are driving with kids in their car. Not only is that extremely dangerous, it is setting the wrong example for the kids. It essentially tells the kids, “do as I say, not as I do.” Most of us know that this just does not work with kids, especially teenagers, and, thus, the cycle of distracted driving is spread to these teenagers by their parents. In order to keep our kids from texting and driving, we must first show them proper driving habits by not texting or using our cell phones when we drive. The best way to teach your kid not to do something is to refrain from doing it yourself. A great way to do this is to invest in a text blocker or cell phone blocker device. There are a lot of options out there that offer software solutions and hardware/software combo solutions. I, personally prefer the hardware solutions as they tend to be easier on your phone’s battery life. Make sure your kid’s car is a no phone zone by making your car a no phone zone first. It is important now, more than ever, to get the word out about the dangers of texting and using hand-held phones while driving and what can be done to prevent that. Please join with us and get the word out. You can find more information and resources and sign up to promote Key2SafeDriving athttp://www.Key2SafeDriving.com and http://bit.ly/a0Pwzl
Do You Text and Drive?
With the ever increasing attention that both law makers and the general public are dedicating to distracted driving concerns, we have seen the appearance of the cell phone blocker market. These cell phone blocker devices are intended to block cell phone use while driving. There are many different designs out on the market today which leads to the question, “Do cell phone blocker devices really work?” There are a couple of different models on the market right now. Let’s examine the pros and cons and see which ones really work. GPS cell phone blockers are, by far, the most typical in this new market. They are not a bad idea, and they tend to be cheaper, but they do have some imperfections. Essentially, they work by keeping your GPS on and if the GPS shows that you are traveling at a speed above a specific threshold (such as faster than a person can jog), it will prevent you from dialing or texting from your phone. This is pretty effective, but can sometimes be impractical. For instance, whether you are in the driver seat or the passenger seat, the software won’t be able to tell the difference. So, if you are a passenger and want to speak on the phone, you’re out of luck. Something else to think about is that this method of text blocking can run into problems if there is especially bad weather or if you are in an area where satellite signals are difficult to receive/send (such as a tunnel or underpass). The Bluetooth method appears to be much more practical. The only one that I have seen use this method is Safe Driving Systems. Safe Driving Systems uses technology patented by the University of Utah to connect cell phones to the vehicle’s OBD port. Their device, called Key 2 Safe Driving, utilizes a blue tooth dongle which plugs directly into the car’s OBD port. The dongle then sends a signal to the phone, letting it know if the car is moving or not. If the car is running and moving, the dongle will alert the phone to enter “Safe Driving Mode” which locks down the keyboard and text/call notifications. Your texts will go straight to your inbox and your calls go straight to voicemail. Then, once the car stops moving, the phone will alert that you have messages. This method avoids the problems that GPS methods suffer and it also lets you to set up custom rules so that you can still talk when you are not driving. Another feature of Key 2 Safe Driving is the fact that you can make emergency calls to 911 and 2 other pre-programmed numbers if you need to. I did not observe this very often with the GPS based cell phone blocker devices. Finally, the Bluetooth dongle forces your phone to keep its Bluetooth on, so you cannot “cheat” by disengaging your Bluetooth. Also, if you unplug the dongle or try to turn off the Bluetooth or software, it will send a text to the device administrator (usually a boss or parent) letting them know that the device has been tampered with. It seems to be rather fool proof and much more practical than the GPS text blocker devices.
The bottom line is, “No Cell Drive, Saves Lives.” We need to make sure we do not let our cell phones distract us at all.
It is important now, more than ever, to get the word out about the dangers of texting and using hand-held phones while driving and what can be done to prevent that. Please join with us and get the word out. You can find more information and resources and sign up to promote Key2SafeDriving athttp://www.Key2SafeDriving.net and http://bit.ly/a0Pwzl
Help Stop Distracted Driving!: It is important now, more than ever, to get the word out about the dangers of texti… http://bit.ly/dz6LTY
Do You Text and Drive?
I just read an awful story about a plastic surgeon in California that drove himself and his dog off of a cliff near the ocean because he was texting and driving. The doctor was declared dead at the scene and his dog was thrown clear, ending up in the ocean. The dog was pretty banged up, but will be ok.
It’s just so awful to hear these stories about people getting hurt or killed in traffic incidents that are completely unnecessary and avoidable. This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about Key2SafeDriving. If this doctor had installed this device, there would have been no temptation to text and he may have seen that he was veering off the road. It’s just really sad. Please, even if you don’t invest in something like Key2SafeDriving, please do not text and drive or use a hand held cell phone while driving. It’s just not worth the risk.
Article: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/08/18/heidi-montags-doctor-texting-fatal-crash-report-claims/
Key2SafeDriving: www.key2safedriving.com
