By Molly McLaughlin on October 7, 2009 in
Texting while driving is a hot topic these days. While wired and Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones can help keep your hands on the wheel while chatting, there's no similar solution for handsfree texting. One study, referenced in a New York Times article on distracted driving, found that texting drivers typically take their eyes off the road for as long as five seconds at a time. DriveSafe.ly is a free mobile app that aims to keep text-messaging drivers' eyes on the road. It serves two purposes - it uses text to speech to read incoming text messages and emails out loud, and sends an auto-reply letting your friend know that you're driving and can't respond at the moment. Currently DriveSafe.ly works only with BlackBerry and Android smartphones, but versions for the Apple iPhone as well as Windows Mobile and Symbian handsets are expected soon. No word yet on availability for regular cell phones.
Pros:
- Works with Bluetooth headsets, radio transmitters, or your phone's speaker
- Users can customize their auto-response message
- It will read out common acronyms like BRB and LOL
- Doesn't respond to voice commands
- You have to remember to enable the service before you start driving
- Limited phone compatibility
The safety issue
According to The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, 22 percent of all car accidents in 2008 were caused by distracted driving. Cell phone use is only one of many driving distractions, but The New York Times reports in its Distracted Driving series that 81 percent of cellphone owners acknowledged that they talk on phones while driving, based on a survey of 1,506 people last year. While there are no solid statistics on how often cell phones cause car accidents, a study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which monitored drivers for more than a year using in-car cameras, showed that cell phones were the most common driver distraction.
It's the law
President Obama has banned texting while driving for federal employees and lawmakers are enacting their own bans, state by state. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Association, 18 states and the District of Columbia now ban text messaging for all drivers. Only 6 states, on the other hand, ban talking on handheld cell phones while driving.