Autoblog

Scosche debuts accessory that blocks all cell phone use in cars

Zach Bowman — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Safety, Technology

Scosche has created a new device designed to disable cell phones while driving. The cellCONTROL uses Bluetooth to block calls the instant a vehicle begins moving. According to the company, users activate the system online, download an application onto their mobile phone and plug a trigger unit directly into the vehicle's OBD-II port. Once installed, the cellCONTROL automatically blocks telephone functions, from ingoing and outgoing calls to SMS, MMS, and internet connectivity. The device isn't a blanket block, however. According to Scosche, the device lets the phone to work as intended once a hands-free headset is detected.

The application will automatically alert an administrator via text or email should the cellCONTROL be deactivated, removed or otherwise tampered with. Scosche says the device is compatible with more than 1,200 devices and any vehicle sold in the U.S. after 1996. Prices start at $129.95. Seems like small price to pay to drive cell-free. Click past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Scosche debuts accessory that blocks all cell phone use in cars

Scosche debuts accessory that blocks all cell phone use in cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford first to support bill banning handheld phones while driving

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

We're on the verge of having a nationwide ban on using handheld cell phones while driving, and Ford is the first automaker to stand behind the cause. According to The Detroit Free Press, Ford's vice president of government affairs, Pete Lawson, said that this "represents a practical, commonsense approach to a national problem."

Ford has already made hands-free calling technology widely available across its model range. In addition to SYNC - found in just about every new Ford product - the automaker has rolled out its MyFord Touch infotainment system, and the Blue Oval boys are already working on major upgrades to improve general ease of use.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the other major American automakers - General Motors and Chrysler - have yet to comment about the proposed cell phone ban. However, both automakers have supported previous efforts to reduce hand-held phone use while driving.

Ford first to support bill banning handheld phones while driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: PSA - Ken Jeong and Joel McHale urge you to put a sock on it

Zach Bowman — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Videos

Wear your thumb socks - Click above to watch video after the jump

In the never-ending battle to get teenage drivers to put down their cell phones while driving, Sprint has assembled an A-Team of comedic force to advocate the use of thumb socks. We're not kidding. The ever-hilarious comedians Ken Jeong and Joel McHale have jumped on board to get teens to wrap up their opposable digits while driving. The theory is that the slick sock fabric makes it nearly impossible manipulate your phone's buttons and cuts out using the iPhone's touchscreen all together.

Sprint will be more than happy to send you three pairs of the socks once you sign up for an account over at the Do Something web site. The company is hoping kids will give the extra pairs to their friends, or keep a pair in the glove box.

Sounds like a good idea, to be sure. Thing is, we have a hard time believing your average teenager is going to embrace wearing something that's four fingers short of a glove and takes effort to put on. Considering the fact that tying shoe laces is too much a stretch for most of the sub-20 population, we don't expect to see thumb socks become all the rage all of a sudden. Hit the jump to see Jeong and McHale do their best to get the word out.

[Source: Do Something]

Continue reading Video: PSA - Ken Jeong and Joel McHale urge you to put a sock on it

Video: PSA - Ken Jeong and Joel McHale urge you to put a sock on it originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NSC decrees all cell phone driving as dangerous, cites 30 studies

Zach Bowman — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Surprise, surprise. The National Safety Council just released a report saying that all cell phone use while driving - even hands-free - is potentially dangerous and "risky behavior." The study includes some pretty scary figures, including this one: At any time, 11 percent of drivers on the road are on their phones at the same time. Even worse, the NSC estimates that one out of every four automobile accidents occur because the at-fault driver was on the phone. The NSC combed over and referenced 30 scientific studies and reports for its findings.

While you can technically operate a cell phone and a vehicle at the same time, it seems that our brains aren't hardwired to process that much information simultaneously. According to the study, the result is that while we may see everything on the road, our noggins are only making use of around 50 percent of the available information while we're on the phone. Yikes. Want to know more? Click here to visit the NSC's official page.

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

Report: NSC decrees all cell phone driving as dangerous, cites 30 studies originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Laws banning hand-held phones do not reduce crashes

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

This one doesn't surprise us one bit and we'll explain why in a moment. Until then, clock this: a Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) study determined that laws banning the use of hand-held phones have no effect on the crash rate. None, as in zero effect. Says HLDI and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety president Adrian Lund, "The laws aren't reducing crashes, even though we know that such laws have reduced hand-held phone use." So there you go, drivers get into an equal number of crashes with or without cell phones.

As to why we aren't surprised by the HLDI's findings, two reasons... well, really three. The first being that over the last decade and a half there has been an exponential increase in American cell phone usage. We went from only yuppies walking around with Gordon Gekko sized brick phones to nearly everyone having a mobile phone. If cell phones and driving are as dangerous as certain state lawmakers were led to believe, we would have seen a similar exponential rise in accidents. But, we never saw one. Instead, it was just one big hysterical case of causation without correlation.

The second reason is something Ford showed us while we were checking out their new MyFord Touch technology. Ford engineers were explaining just how crazy dangerous it is to text while driving. According to Ford's data, texting while driving is 23 times their baseline as dangerous as just plain old driving - by far the most dangerous activity you can engage in behind the wheel. Looking at FoMoCo's chart we noticed that hands-free cell phone usage registered a +1 in terms of danger - statistically insignificant. However, talking on a hand-held cell phone recorded -1, less accidents occurred in Ford's study when people were talking on a hand-held phone than when they were just driving. That said, -1 is statistically nothing.

Our third reason is more observational than data of science based, though it does square with the HLDI's findings: people seem to drive just as lousy phone or no phone. Wake up and drive people.

[Source: HLDI News | Photo: Corbis]

Study: Laws banning hand-held phones do not reduce crashes originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation

Chris Shunk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Volvo

Volvo has publicly stated that it would like to eradicate accident-related injuries and deaths per year by the year 2020; an extraordinarily lofty goal that would obviously save countless lives. But in the next ten years, hundreds of thousands of drivers will die in traffic accidents in the U.S. alone, and Volvo feels that anti-distracted driving legislation passing through Washington right now could save quite a few.

To support the legislation, Volvo took out full-page ads in yesterday's Washington Post and USA Today. Volvo points out in the ads that it has long been committed to avoiding distracted driving accidents, and safety tech like adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning are evidence of the Swedish automaker's track record. The ads are purposely being run at the same time law makers, safety advocates, law enforcement and transportation officials converge in Washington for a distracted driving summit.

Volvo Cars North America President and CEO Doug Speck underscores his company's commitment to distracted driving laws, stating the need for "reasonable laws that help focus a driver's attention on the road will help reduce collisions, just as laws to enforce seat belt use have helped save lives." And when Volvo is talking about distracted driving, it's not just worried about text messaging and cell phones. The Swedish automaker also counts passengers, rubbernecking, driver fatigue, reading newspapers, books, and maps, adjusting the radio and looking at scenery as potential driving hazards.

We're definitely with Volvo with the book reading and the rubbernecking, but we'll take majestic scenery wherever we can get it. And if Volvo wants to eradicate map reading in the car, it can start by improving its own cloyingly contrived navigation system interface. Hit the jump to read the Volvo press release.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation

Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SURVEY: Drivers feel 35% less safe than they did five years ago... do you? [w/POLL]

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Safety

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released new survey results stating that over one-third of the motorists it polled are driving scared. More specifically, they feel less safe than they did back in 2004. Thing is, 2008 was the safest year to drive a car since 1961, and adjusted for population growth, the safest year in American motoring history. Yet Americans feel less safe. Why? Yakking on cell phones and texting while behind the wheel were cited as the main reasons. In other words, distracted driving.

The question, then, is why? Well, cell phones are quite visible. In other words, just by looking you can't tell that the dude next to you poured a pint of tequila into his Big Gulp or that the woman next to him has been awake for the last 37 hours. But you can see that they're yelling at their spouse through the phone. Texting's worse because they're always looking down and sometimes have both hands off the wheel. Just our theory.

Another theory is that as the belt line of cars continue to rise and resemble armored cars, visibility plummets. Not being able to see out of a vehicle probably makes one feel unsafe. Another theory? Now that manufacturers talk about safety all the time (think: those Volkswagen commercials - SMASH!) people are starting to think about safety more and more. And finally, maybe the recession just has people singin' the blues. Full press release after the jump.

View Poll

[Image: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty]

Continue reading SURVEY: Drivers feel 35% less safe than they did five years ago... do you? [w/POLL]

SURVEY: Drivers feel 35% less safe than they did five years ago... do you? [w/POLL] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Where does your city rank among the road-rageous?

Chris Tutor — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Listen up, all you people in New York, Dallas, Detroit and Atlanta. Settle down. You, too, Minneapolis. There's no excuse for the kinds of things you're doing out there on the road. That's right, we saw you. Well, not us, but your fellow drivers who tattled on a new AutoVantage survey about road rage. Those were the five worst cities for road rage incidents this year, with respondents citing hot-tempered drivers and aggressive speeding and horn honking.

But wait - there are two sides to the road named rage. Something must have set off those finger-waving commuters. And that would have been all the other drivers out there who are talking on their phones, tailgating, eating, emailing and checking Autoblog on their netbooks and iPhones. Those people, the survey says, are the ones getting on the nerves of the short-fused.

So where can a mild-mannered driver go and cruise the roads in peace? AutoVantage's survey lists Portland, Oregon as the most courteous city with Cleveland, Baltimore, Sacramento and Pittsburgh following. While we're at it, we'd like to spotlight Baltimore as a shining example of how a city can make a road-rage u-turn. That city moved up from No. 4 on last year's least courteous list. Now why can't the rest of you behave as well?

Here's a few more interesting numbers the survey offers. St. Louis drivers, 92% of them, reported seeing someone talking on a mobile phone every day. It's also a city where you're more likely to see drivers eating in their cars. A majority of Minneapolis drivers surveyed said they witness tailgating every day, and that city's drivers also reported more incidences of red light running. In Miami, you're less likely to see drivers signaling lane changes but much more likely to get a text message from a fellow driver. Maybe they're just texting their intent to come into your lane. "Can U belev I jst got cutof??? Had 2 run light 2 catch up 2 him at 90mph!!!"

Ironically, 7% of the drivers surveyed said they reacted to displays of bad driving by calling the cops... on their mobile phones, we assume.

Check out the press release after the jump. But you might want to wait until you finish your drive home. It's kinda long.

Continue reading Study: Where does your city rank among the road-rageous?

Study: Where does your city rank among the road-rageous? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan testing car-to-car communication system

Damon Lavrinc — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Technology, Honda, Nissan, Toyota

Beginning this October and running through March 2008, Nissan will be equipping 2,000 drivers with an experimental system that aims to make Japan's roads a safer place to be.

The in-car system will gather signals from a variety of stationary objects, including traffic lights and electricity poles, estimate the vehicle's speed and warn drivers of impending disasters. If the system coordinates everything properly, the driver will be alerted when they exceed the speed limit in a school zone or if another motorist is about to blow through a red light.

All this is in an effort by the Japanese government to institute an intelligent transportation system that will reduce crashes throughout the country, beginning in 2010. Both Honda and Toyota are joining in the development of the system, which will also utilize mobile phones to judge speed, identify congestion and suggest alternate routes to avoid being bogged down in traffic.

How much of the system will be utilized for the above and how much will be bastardized into some Orwellian nightmare remains to be seen. We'll just admit that we'd be hard-pressed to 'volunteer' for such a study.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

Nissan testing car-to-car communication system originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legislate me: drivers favor ban on distractions

Erin Mays — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Safety, Technology

A recent study by Response Insurance, a national car insurer, says that cell phones aren't the only driver distractions people want banned. Reading, grooming, and even listening to MP3 players or iPods were on the list with significant support.

A few interesting results of the survey is that more Blackberry users favor government legislation banning their use behind the wheel than non-Blackberry users (65 to 58 percent, respectively), and 28 percent of the population says that even hands-free cell phone devices should be banned.

It's no surprise that a whopping 79 percent of people favor banning reading behind the wheel, 72 percent favor banning texting, and 68 percent favor banning grooming, but a surprising number of people are also all for banning eating, smoking and listening to iPods or MP3 players (36, 34 and 28 percent, respectively).

Thanks to Jamie for the tip.

[Source: Response Insurance via Yahoo! Finance]

Legislate me: drivers favor ban on distractions originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile phone to provides real-time traffic reports

Joel Arellano — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 11:53:00 EST

Filed under: Technology

The ability to foresee the state of freeway traffic in real-time (as opposed to snapshots of traffic conditions) seems to be the up-and-coming technology for high end iron. Both Acura and, recently, Cadillac have bundled such systems with their navigation packages, which gather their data via streaming traffic reports from detectors and cameras.

IntelliOne Technologies is currently testing 'Need4Speed,' a real-time traffic monitoring system that can gather data by tracking the movements of mobile phone users within their cars. The company is creatively using the phone's constant communication with cell towers to provide up-to-the-second traffic conditions.

According to the company, Need4Speed is more accurate than current systems, refreshing every second and proving to be accurate within 3 miles. When asked about possible privacy issues, IntelliOne states that any personal ID's from the phones are removed from its system.

An innovative way to track traffic? Or a violation or privacy? Comments are open.

[Source: Fox News]

Mobile phone to provides real-time traffic reports originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Aug 2006 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Custom blinker tones to replace ringtones in popularity?

John Neff — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:25:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Technology

Could it happen? CNET pundit Rafe Needleman let us know via email he asked this very question after reading a Ford press release that reveals turn signals of today emit a digital tone that has been meticulously engineered by dudes in white labcoats. In the past that familiar clicking sound that accompanied those flashing green arrows was caused by a mechanical relay. With the electronic revolution having banished nearly all mechanical operations in a car besides the engine itself, it's feasible we could be downloading custom blinker tones for our pimped rides in the very near future.

We don't know about you, but we're planning on replacing our left blinker click with the THX intro and the right one with the startup sound a Mac makes. What about you?

[Source: CNET]

Custom blinker tones to replace ringtones in popularity? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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