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cell phone driving

Texting While Driving Ban
Driving

Texting on the Sly Leads to More Car Accidents

Texting while driving is banned in 30 states, but have you ever snuck in an SMS while you were behind the wheel?
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Texting while driving is banned in 30 states, but have you ever snuck in an SMS while you were behind the wheel? The answer for most of us is no, but people are in fact still texting on the sly, and it's leading to more fatalities and accidents than before the ban, according to a new study.

When people try to hide their texting from the police they tend to lower their phones to their laps, the study says, which means no eyes on the road for longer periods of time. That translates to an increased chance of crashing; the accident rates in three of the states they studied rose after the law was in place. Last year, there were almost 450,000 accidents and 5,474 deaths due to distracted driving.

The government, however, is not giving up; US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he is confident that the texting ban will work in the future, once it is enforced "effectively." So instead of trying to outsmart the cops, keep your cell phone tucked safely away and try my top five texting-while-driving alternatives.

Source: Flickr User mrJasonWeaver

DriveSafely App Reads Your Blackberry Texts To You While You're Driving
Driving

DriveSafely App Reads Your BB Texts While Driving

Here in California, it's not only against the law to talk on your cell phone while driving, but it's also illegal to text while driving.
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Here in California, it's not only against the law to talk on your cell phone while driving, but it's also illegal to text while driving. I've already told you about neat gizmos like Key 2 Safe and BlackBerry apps like ZoomSafer that prevent you from being able to make calls while behind the wheel. But, what about those instances where you're expecting an important text or email on your BlackBerry, but you can't keep pulling over to check them?

A BlackBerry app called DriveSafe.ly will actually read your incoming text messages and emails to you, thanks to its text to speech functionality which is powered by iSpeech.org. And you can even create customizable auto-responses to your message! You can download DriveSafe.ly for free from the BlackBerry App World.

ZoomSafer Uses GPS To Turn Your Phone Off While Driving
digital life

A High-Tech Way to Prevent Cell Phone Driving Distraction

A few months ago, I told you about a new program available for pre-order that turns off your cell phones once the key is in your car's ignition.
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A few months ago, I told you about a new program available for pre-order that turns off your cell phones once the key is in your car's ignition.

Now, there's another similar service to keep you safe and free from distraction while driving. ZoomSafer is a free service that uses your phone's GPS system to monitor your driving speed and prevent you from placing or receiving calls or texts when traveling over 10 miles per hour. The application is programmable to allow exceptions, like calls from certain important numbers. And an added bonus for parents or employers who want to monitor the driving habits of kids or employees on the job: if the system is overridden and a call is placed or text message sent, the account administrator receives an automatically-generated email alerting them to the phone's usage.

Right now, the service is only available for BlackBerrys, but will work with select Windows and Android phones early next year. I think this kind of service is a good idea to prevent distractions, especially for people without the willpower to simply ignore the phone while behind the wheel.

Nadya Suleman Gets Caught Driving While Talking On Her Cell Phone
Desperate Housewives

Oops! Nadya Suleman Breaks the Hands Free Cell Phone Law

One would think, especially with so many children, Nadya Suleman would be a safety pro and abide by California law by using a Bluetooth device or a hands free cell phone earpiece while operating a motor vehicle.
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One would think, especially with so many children, Nadya Suleman would be a safety pro and abide by California law by using a Bluetooth device or a hands free cell phone earpiece while operating a motor vehicle.

Sadly, this wasn't the case when the famous mother of fourteen was caught yesterday gabbing on her cell phone while driving by police. The Hands Free Law — which kicked into effect last July — is intended to make drivers more aware while driving — and therefore decreasing traffic accidents. With fun iPhone apps and hands free earpiece devices like the one Eva Mendes uses, there really aren't any excuses.

Now onto something more entertaining, a recent funny clip from Desperate Housewives when Susan had a similar Nadya incident. To watch just read more

Driving While Texting Is a Killer Combo
texting

Driving While Texting Is a Killer Combo

We all know the dangers with using wireless communication devices like your cell phone or iPod while driving, yet most of us continue to do so.
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We all know the dangers with using wireless communication devices like your cell phone or iPod while driving, yet most of us continue to do so. With car crashes being the number one killer of teens in the U.S, the Today Show decided to see just how distracted teens can get while using their phone while driving. Using a special simulator and wearing high-tech glasses, two teens were put to the test to see how much they looked away and for how long while taking calls, changing songs on their iPod, or sending a text message. All it takes is two seconds for someone to be distracted and cause an accident, as you'll see in this video. Lesson learned? Always exercise caution, don't look away from the road, and invest in a bluetooth headset.

Do You Use Your Cell During Your Commute?
digital life

Do You Use Your Cell During Your Commute?

If you're like me and use your commute time to keep in touch with friends and family members you may want to rethink your habit.
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If you're like me and use your commute time to keep in touch with friends and family members you may want to rethink your habit.

According to a recent article in The Los Angeles Times researchers from the University of Utah have determined that drivers that talk while on the road drive "more hesitantly than undistracted drivers and, as a result, are increasing everyone's average drive time by five to 10 percent."

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Say Good-Bye To Cell Phone Driving
News

Say Good-Bye To Cell Phone Driving

Gabbing away on your cell phone while driving can be really dangerous, especially when you're in a busy city or driving at high speeds.
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Gabbing away on your cell phone while driving can be really dangerous, especially when you're in a busy city or driving at high speeds. I happen to have grown up in a rural area, where there are hardly any cars on the road and everyone drives ridiculously slow, I think I tricked myself into thinking it's okay to drive and talk. The Raw Feed has reported that Highway Safety and Technology has created an automated detection system that will reveal who is talking on their cell phones while driving. Using electronic sensing equipment, this system will act as a cell-phone radar for police. It will be available to U.S. police departments as early as this fall, so beware my cell phone loving friends - including you Brit! As my dad says "hang up and drive!"

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