A recent study by the National highway Traffic Safety Administration found motor vehicle crashes to be the leading cause of death for drivers age 16 to 24 and the second most common cause of death for individuals between the ages 25 to 34. While the overall rate of crash related fatalities has decreased over a 4 year period starting in 2005, fatalities related to distracted driving have increased 22% over the same period. Among the most popular distractions are mobile phones. A 2012 CDC national survey indicates that 52% of U.S. drivers between the ages of 18 and 29 report texting or e-mailing """"""""regularly"""""""" or """"""""fairly often"""""""" while driving. There is of course a time and a place for cell phone use in a vehicle A cell phone may be safely used by a passenger or when the vehicle is no longer in motion. Proposed is a device which automatically controls a cellphone and locks out distracting functions such as texting and phone calls preventing the driver from using these features.
The societal benefit of the proposed technology is that it can eliminate some of the distractions leading to automobile accidents. This is the leading cause of death for drivers age 16 to 24 and the second most common cause of death for individuals between the ages 25 to 34.
