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Say you were in a single car accident and after the initial impact, when the car had stopped moving, what is the first thing you would try to do?
Most likely you would reach for your cell phone and call for help. But what if your phone’s service had been locked due to advancements in technology specifically meant to curb cell phone usage and avoid car accidents?
Our car accident attorneys encourage you to drive within the limits of the law and use hands free devices should you need to talk on the phone while driving your car.
WQN Inc., a company based out of Dallas, Texas, has developed a product that, using GPS technology, can determine how fast a person in a car is traveling and shut down access to his or her cell phone. The problem is that the device does not know if the cell phone owner is actually driving the car or simply a passenger in it.
This brings up an interesting issue in the war on cell phone use while driving.
We all know that the likelihood of crashes, from fatal car accidents and single car accidents, can be avoided by not talking or texting on a phone in the driver’s seat of a car. States such as California have already put a ban on texting while driving because it causes car accidents, a worthy addition to the 2008 “Hands Free” cell phone law, reducing probably hundreds of potential accidents.
Yet when a car accident does occur—cell phone related or not—it would be devastating to not have a way to call for help. Systems like WQN Inc.’s creation and another product called DriveAssist are designed for parents looking to put an extra layer of safety around their teenage drivers. With this added surveillance costing only ten dollars a month most parents are eager to front the cash in exchange for the security.
The executive director of WiredSafety.org describes how “more and more, we see any solution is, in large part, education and awareness, parents getting involved.” However, Aftab is not an advocate of this type of technology to reduce cell phone related car accidents. “I wish technology providers would look hard at the problems before coming up with a knee-jerk solution.”
So what is the next step in stopping car accidents due to cell phone usage?
Other companies have already tried systems that prevent cell phones from being used when a programmed car key is in the ignition, but kids were able sneak around it by having a copy of the original key made. Another plan of action was based on a tracking system, where teenagers could call or text after hitting a button on their phone, altering parents of the poor choice, as well as affecting their driving score and informing their insurance companies of bad driving techniques.
Still, the director suggests the best thing to do, if parents are not there to supervise, is to take the cell phone away from teenagers on the road. On the other hand, if it is your child behind the wheel, is it worth the risk to let them have a cell phone in their automobile, should the event of a car accident take place?
Throughout our years of handling car accident claims as auto accident lawyers, we have noticed that when drivers use cell phones they are far more likely to get into auto accidents.
Even though cell phone usage and distracted drivers are the top cause of car accidents, at least there our law makers are looking to solve this problem. What will you do the next time you are driving and your cell phone rings?
Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney after you get into a car accident and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines