Wireless Invention Jams Teen Drivers' Cell Calls

alphadogg writes "University of Utah researchers have invented technology that could come to be embraced by teenagers with the same enthusiasm they have for curfews and ID checks. And like those things, it could save their lives. Key2SafeDriving technology uses RFID or Bluetooth wireless capabilities to issue signals from car keys to cell phones to prevent drivers from talking on their phones or texting while driving. A company called Accendo LC of Kaysville, Utah has licensed the technology and is working to build it into commercial devices that could be on the market next year. The company is sorting out how to bring the technology to market, but one possibility is that it would be made available through cell phone service companies and could also be tied in with insurance companies, which might offer discounts for users."

Comments

Re:911, but not Mom?

[Mr2001]

All it proves is that the elderly turnout on election day dwarfs that of any other age group.

No, come on: you don't think any other age group would stand for the same treatment, do you? If a new study showed that the most dangerous group of drivers were actually, say, 30-40 year olds, you can be sure they wouldn't be banned from the road either.

It's not about turnout among the elderly. It's about young people being disenfranchised. They're discriminated against at every turn because they're powerless to stop it.

You'd think with all of us former teens, still scarred from society's relentless abuse, would rally around the cause of eliminating teenage oppression. But we don't. You know why? Most of us look back at how unbelievably stupid, reckless and irresponsible we were as teenagers. With age, comes some perspective.

That's one theory.

Here's another: most adults don't care about teenage oppression because it isn't their problem anymore. It's easier to just ignore it as soon as you turn 18, or 21, than to keep fighting for a cause that doesn't benefit you personally. Many of them also feel a perverse sense of justice in subjecting the next generation to the same poor treatment that they themselves had to face.