New phone app that blocks texting while driving shows promise... a least a step in the right direction...
Parents
find it hard enough to pry computers, gaming systems, and Facebook away
from teenagers so they can do their homework. But it's getting even
harder to keep cellphones out of teens' hands when they're driving.
Texting
while driving has caused an increasing number of accidents, injuries
and even deaths. Boston recently passed a law banning texting while
driving, and other communities are considering similar bans.
In
an effort to deter such behavior, Darcy Ahl, of Darien, Conn.,
partnered with Concord-based Illume Software to create a cellphone
application that would eliminate the cellphone distraction.
They presented their application to a room of 15 students and parents at the Wellesley Free Library Tuesday afternoon.
"It's a chronic situation. It's a critical situation," said CEO Dan Ross, a Newton native.
The
application, called iZUP, turns off the cellphone when the vehicle is
going over 5 miles-per-hour. 9-1-1 calls and three phone numbers are
the only exceptions.
Source: Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/wellesley/2010/01/wellesley_teens_try_new_cell_p.html