There have been many accidents attributed to people txting while driving within the past few years. With the act of txting consuming so much attention drivers make stupid mistakes that could have been easily avoided. This act is illegal in my state.

The safety override I want to employ would utilize the cell phones processor to process the image the phones camera is viewing. There would be software on the phone that determines if the phone is in motion. Tower swapping (and maybe triangulation if power consumption could be lowered) would provide information on whether or not the phone is moving. So, IF the phone is receiving keypad input when the txting program is running, the software checks to see if the phone is in motion. Then the software uses the phones camera and processes the image information and determine if your in car DRIVING. Image recognition software scaled down to detect basic car interior components. IF the image recognition software determines you are in the drivers seat, AND you are in motion the override engages and locks you out of txting in till you stop.
-- evilpenguin, Feb 13 2008

Garmin C330 GPS http://www.crutchfi...16/garmin_c330.html
This device locks its controls while the vehicle is in motion. [Amos Kito, Feb 13 2008]

Dounting this is going to stop people being stupid, which is the real problem here.
-- DrCurry, Feb 13 2008


Yes. The problem is with the nut that holds the steering wheel.

//the phone is receiving keypad input when the txting program is running//
Since he's still txting and driving, how does it prevent accidents? Is it because he eventually realizes txt isn't functioning?
-- Amos Kito, Feb 13 2008


//Since he's still txting and driving, how does it prevent accidents?//

This software is a slap on the wrist for the txt-er. When everything is met for the override to run it does just that, runs. The overrride freezes the phone and displays a message that in order to continue typing the user must come to a stop. This software would have to be built-in to chip so that it cannot erased.

//Yes. The problem is with the nut that holds the steering wheel.// Yes, Exactly! Thats what the image recognition software detects (whether or not you are DRIVING the car)
-- evilpenguin, Feb 13 2008


If you technology that can tell from a small low resolution camera pointed in a random direction within any one of a thousand different models of car whether someone is driving or not, you could make a lot more useful applications than disabling their phone.
-- DanDaMan, Feb 13 2008


How 'bout instead of locking out the phone, it locks the car's steering or shuts the engine off. As soon as it detects the texting has stopped, it re-fires the engine immediately or unlocks the steering. Bet that'd get the idiot's attention. The only drawback would be that doing so would put the folks near the idiot at risk as well. But...I bet it would only be once.

I reckon your idea is safer. A lot of mobile phones have GPS built into them. The GPS feature could be used to measure speed, and if the speed is over "X" amount, it could lock out texting. That kinda seems more feasible than using the camera.
-- Sometimer, Feb 13 2008


// The GPS feature could be used to measure speed, and if the speed is over "X" amount, it could lock out texting //

But if the texter is

a) A passenger (car or train) b) On a boat c) Parachuting d) Number 3 of a 4-man bobsleigh team

?
-- 8th of 7, Feb 13 2008


Defeating this idea would be as easy as putting a finger or tape over the camera, no?

[Sometimer], et al: You can't just disable a phone because it's in motion - passengers might be making a call.
-- phoenix, Feb 13 2008


The camera motion software is going to be nearly useless, as most of the time I'm not pointing my phone out the window while driving.

I've got it. In the future, when all cars effectively have GPS, they could compare their GPS signals with the phone's GPS signals to see if they're travelling in the same direction, position, time, speed, etc. This only works though if they are aware of eachother's presence and ownership through some massive GPS registration database.

Of course, in the future, car phones should negate the usage of cell phones in them anyways. (Right, just like mass transit should negate the use of cars. Oh well.)
-- RayfordSteele, Feb 13 2008


Oh, I was only suggesting locking out the texting feature. 'Course the GPS speed thingy could also apply to lock out the phone feature unless a hands-free device was connected or something.

As far as passengers go, I have no rebuttal... you win that point. 'Cept it wouldn't hurt my feelings that passengers couldn't text or talk without a hands-free device while in motion - but that's just me.
-- Sometimer, Feb 13 2008


[Just trying to picture someone on a bobsled team texting on a run. And failing miserably. But I still like that image.]
-- DrCurry, Feb 13 2008


I'm waiting for the commercial, inevitably appearing during the next winter Olympics.
-- normzone, Feb 14 2008



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