Car Key Jams Teen Drivers' Cell Phones

[JFC]

Bluetooth Device Also Blocks Texting When Key is in Ignition
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Dec. 11, 2008 – University of Utah researchers have developed an automobile ignition key that prevents teenagers from talking on cell phones or sending text messages while driving.

The university has obtained provisional patents and licensed the invention – Key2SafeDriving – to a private company that hopes to see it on the market within six months at a cost of less than $50 per key plus a yet-undetermined monthly service fee.

"The key to safe driving is to avoid distraction," says Xuesong Zhou, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering who co-invented the system with Wally Curry, a University of Utah graduate now practicing medicine in Hays, Kan. "We want to provide a simple, cost-effective solution to improve driving safety."


FULL ARTICLE - http://www.unews.utah.edu/p/?r=120808-1