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More accidents are being caused by people talking or texting while driving. Now engineers at the University of Utah have invented a special key to prevent people from using their cell phones behind the wheel.
It's called the Key2SafeDriving. With it, when you pull out your key to start the car, you can forget using your cell phone.
U of U assistant professor Xuesong Zhou says the special key sends a Bluetooth signal to the phone. "Your cell phone knows, ‘OK, I am in driving mode. You should not talk or text or whatever while driving,'" he said.
Though it is possible to disable the Bluetooth, parents can set the phone just like a personal computer and override the ability to disable the device. The parent would also know if the device was disabled because the report indicate no driving record at the time the child was using the car.
The creators' YouTube video shows how the invention works. [Click here to watch the video]
University of Utah engineers first tried to use the GPS to see if cell phone is in moving mode or not, but Zhou says that didn't distinguish between the passengers and the driver. "We figured using your key and your phone, using this combination, this is the most accurate solution," he said.
Zhou notes that "at any given time, about 6 percent of travelers on the road are talking on a cell phone while driving. Also at any given time, 10 percent of teenagers who are driving are talking or texting."
Studies have shown drivers using cell phones are about four times more likely to get in a crash than other drivers.
When you flip out the key to start the car, a stop sign appears on your phone's screen. If someone calls you, they get a message saying you are driving and will call them back later.
The phone can still call 911 or a teen's parents, but those parents may also want to use the device for themselves.
The marketers hope insurance companies will give people a better rate with it.
When the key hits the market, it will cost $50, plus a yet undetermined monthly fee. Royalties, as always, would come back to the U for student research.
Public inquiries may be e-mailed to key2safedriving@accendolc.com
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