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Hays doctor helps put brakes on teens texting while drivingDec 21, 2008 (The Hays Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A device intended to prevent teenagers from driving while texting or talking on their cell phones was born out of a local doctor's everyday experiences driving through Hays. "I was driving home from work, and, as usual, I saw a girl texting and driving and literally looking down," Dr. Wally Curry said. "She was putting people at risk ... but I am, too." A urologist at Hays Medical Center, Curry receives emergency calls all the time but tries to avoid talking while driving. Curry, along with University of Utah Assistant Professor of civil engineering Xuesong Zhou, developed Key2SafeDriving in order to reduce accidents and provide a sense of safety to parents of teen drivers. "I have two girls, 12 and 14. That was another reason why we wanted to do this," Curry said. Key2SafeDriving involves a specially-made key and software for a cell phone. When the car is in drive, the key sends a wireless signal to the cell phone which then locks down, restricting calls and texts from coming in. "We can allow 911 calls," Curry said. "We can allow the parents to designate certain numbers for teenagers to be able to call." Any calls or texts received while the phone is locked down will be stored until the phone is reactivated when the driver reaches a destination. Senders of the messages will receive a kick-back message telling them the individual they are trying to reach is driving and will get back to them when they stop. Key2SafeDriving comes with password-protected parental locks, which Curry said would make it difficult for teenagers to override. The device also was made with the intention that insurance rates could be reduced for new teen drivers. "As a parent, if you can require them to use the service, you can capitalize with insurance discounts," Curry said. The data collected by the device could be supplied to insurance companies, which then could compile a safety score for the driver. Curry said he and Zhou still are working on prototypes of the device but hope to have it available to consumers in the next six months. Curry said they are working with cell phone companies, insurance companies and other interested parties on how to market Key2SafeDriving to consumers. A Utah company has licensed the device from the University of Utah, and the university has obtained a provisional patent. Curry said the original intent of Key2SafeDriving is for use by teen drivers, but public transportation companies have expressed interest in using the product for their drivers. "In the long run, I think it would be ideal to not let anybody text or talk while they drive," Curry said. Curry said teachers also have expressed interest in modifying the device for use in classrooms. More information about the device can be obtained at www.key2safedriving.net. To see more of The Hays Daily News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.hdnews.net. Copyright (c) 2008, The Hays Daily News, Kan. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |