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App Can Prevent Users From Texting While Driving
Hugh Pickens writes writes "Scientific American reports that while laws prohibit texting while driving in many states, many people still find it impossible to resist. Now researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are studying how software on a cell phone could analyze keystrokes to determine when that phone's user is distracted while composing and sending text messages and combined with GPS and other data, determine when a texter is behind the wheel and shut off texting functions automatically. Such a feature could take the form of a mobile app for any phone—independent of the manufacturer, operating system and wireless service provider. The researchers programmed a cell phone to log keystroke dynamics using a common operating system as a means of determining if an individual was texting while driving, in particular, 'keystroke entropy.' (PDF) when keys are struck at irregular intervals, as an indicator that the test subjects' attention is divided between texting and driving. 'The things that we are measuring, the data never needs to leave the person's phone,' says Mike Watkins, developer of the algorithm. 'But as a parent, you could require your child to have something like this on their cellphone as a way to protect them. Employers could use it as a way to mitigate their liability for accidents on work time. Even insurance companies could use it.'"
If it really does work, why not just put it on all call phones ant make it so that it can not be disabled.
Seriously, the number of people that I see looking at their crotch while driving is staggering.
Why is it that most of the people that I encounter seem to have been shat from the Sphincter of Mediocrity?
when keys are struck at irregular intervals, as an indicator that the test subjects' attention is divided between texting and driving.
So the way to get around that, if you are the teen forced to have this app, is to pay less attention on driving and focus on the texting.
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"First things first -- but not necessarily in that order"
-- The Doctor, "Doctor
... if it's measuring keystroke entropy, wouldn't that mean the person is already starting to text? I've seen lots of solutions like this before (flash random letters/numbers, require parroting those letters/numbers, etc), and it's the same issue: you're responding to something someone is doing instead of proactively not allowing the person to do it in the first place. Essentially, the person could already be causing a problem on the road.
In other words, it's an interesting piece of academic work that I'm sure has applications elsewhere, however it's not going to solve the problem of texting behind the wheel.
So basically they are taking it upon themselves to ban you from texting in a public transport, or as a passenger. Many rides are bumpy enough and anyone carrying on a conversation might seem distracted enough for the app to trigger.
All this is going to do is force drivers to pay MORE attention to the phone as they don't want their message to be cancelled by the app.
The GPS built into my car has this capability already. What was the first thing I did when I got the car home? I took the damn thing apart and disabled the system that prevents you from using the GPS while driving. Why? Because I like to have passengers in my car. Its perfectly safe for a passenger to use the GPS all they want while I am driving. Hell they can even watch a DVD in the surround sound system in the car while I drive. I don't care. I'm not distracted by it, so what does it matter? (Though I will say in most jurisdictions just being able to see the movie is grounds for a moving violation, so be careful.)
Anyway, this software is likely to think that a passenger who is texting while talking to other people in the car are distracted drivers as well. Why don't we just give up on using technology to babysit people in these areas and start teaching people responsibility? If there is a way to disable texting while driving, someone can re enable it by rooting/jailbreaking their phone and modifying the software. What is the point in entering this arms race? People need to learn to make intelligent decisions, and not have intelligent decisions forced upon them.
Heuristics like this might be interesting on a theoretical level, but they won't be anywhere near as reliable as other approaches. I don't want my phone to have its functions disabled because I'm halfway through typing a text message and I sneeze or something. Phone integration with cars is only going to increase. Link cars with phones via Bluetooth and have the cars tell the phones when they are in motion.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
The article says the error rate would be combined with GPS. Only erratic typing while driving or while riding public transit would result in a block.
"But as a parent, you could require your child to have something like this on their cellphone as a way to protect them..."
I would never install an app that detected when I was driving and shut
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Forget about teaching your children not to do it, we`ll just create another useless device to offset parenting skills and common sense. So tell me genius what keeps the kids from having a second phone and switch the sim card.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
People that have been kidnapped have texted from the trunks of cars alerting others to what is going on. Imagine if those texts were blocked because you were in a moving vehicle and you were not typing normally?
"But this one goes to 11!"
how about completely ignoring what a person is doing, and only punish them if they are driving recklessly, regardless of the cause. We have laws against reckless driving already.
I've often wondered about this. Why don't we just have basic, universal laws against things like dangerous or inconsiderate driving?
After a while, I realised it's because these laws invariably leave a gray area right around the point that the people who we're trying to discourage from doing dumb things are actually doing those dumb things. Worse, those people are often in denial about their problem. Just look at the number of past Slashdot discussions where numerous people claim they can phone/text/whatever and drive, despite overwhelming evidence that only a tiny subset of the population are actually supertaskers. They don't think they're guilty of dangerous driving, so having a generic dangerous driving offence isn't going to affect them.
On the other hand, an objective standard, while inevitably imposing some limitation on the few people who really are good drivers and capable of doing more, leaves no room for the potentially dangerous people to escape. Text and drive, get caught, we crush your car. Simple. You didn't accidentally text, if you've got a driving licence you should know very well if the law says texting is illegal, and there are exactly zero emergency situations where a text would be more appropriate than, say, calling 911 (or whatever your local version is) unless you start getting into conspiracy theories that belong more in Hollywood movies than legislative debates. In short, there is no excuse, and having a black-and-white technical offence on the books makes prosecution an open and shut case.
My happy karma glasses see it this way. I know that I probably am safer on the road than the average driver, based on objective measures and peer review/training, and that I probably could handle my car at speeds some way above a lot of limits without compromising safety. However, I would surely complete my journeys even faster and in greater safety if the drivers at the extreme other end of the spectrum were consistently discouraged from doing dumb things or totally removed from the road. The impact they have through bad driving and the consequences of accidents surely causes a far greater delay on average than me driving say 20% slower than I'd ideally choose to do so that I stay within a legal limit.
It's always important to be wary of arguments that limiting someone's freedom is OK because it's also limiting the freedoms of hypothetical Bad People. However, in this case, the risk from bad drivers is not so much hypothetical as measured in thousands of human lives lost every year. On the other hand, the limitations on freedom for the rest of us are almost zero since no responsible driver would ever be texting and driving anyway, and obviously there is scope for making exceptions if, for example, a doctor certifies that a patient should be exempt because of a legitimate medical condition that means restricting their phone would affect them in unintended ways when they're not driving.
So after reflecting on this subject for a long time, I've concluded that technical road laws like banning texting while driving are a net win, as long as they are enforced impartially and regularly enough to actually be a deterrent.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.