Text-Blocking Technologies

By Joe Howard
Managing Editor

Suppliers unveil applications that lock down mobile handsets in moving vehicles.

A person trying to chat or read and send text messages while driving could find his cell phone disabled, thanks to technology coming into the market.

Applications for commercial drivers are part of the mix of new products that address what many are saying is a rising safety issue: distracted driving.

If people won’t voluntarily set aside their handsets while operating a motor vehicle, there are ways to render cellular connections inoperable, or at least report the driver’s activities to management.

The new technology was the focus of a Federal Communications Commission forum involving suppliers, regulators and others last November.

The basic functions are largely the same: When movement is detected by cell phones and other personal communication devices, outgoing text-messaging is shut down and incoming text and voice messages are saved until the motion has stopped. Keypads are locked to prevent drivers from typing anyway.

The Global Positioning System, accelerometers and Wi-Fi transceivers are among the technologies present in many smart phones that make motion-tracking possible, John Geyer, vice president of business development for Aegis Mobility, Vancouver, British Columbia, told LIGHT AND MEDIUM TRUCK.

Voice calls also may be restricted. Certain programs direct inbound calls to voice mail or greet them with a message informing callers that the subscriber is driving and cannot accept calls.

None of the systems block outbound 911 emergency calls, and most of the programs can be tailored to permit at least some inbound calls.

Illume Software, Concord, Mass., permits calls from selected numbers on its IZUP (“eyes up”) program. And Aegis’ DriveAssist sends an audio alert when messages from selected contacts arrive.

In some cases, hands-free calling is an option. ZoomSafer, Reston, Va., automatically sets certain handsets’ “convenience key,” so drivers can quickly launch hands-free calling before hitting the road, said Matthew Howard, co-founder and chief executive officer.

“We don’t want you to take you hands off the wheel,” he said. “We don’t want you touching the device or even looking at it.”

Once a handset’s GPS detects motion in excess of 10 miles per hour, ZoomSafer automatically launches. The baseline settings prohibit outbound text and e-mails, and cannot be altered.

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