A Radar Gun that Catches Driver Texting Is in Development [Updated]

[misterhighwasted]

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/a-radar-gun-that-catches-driver-texting-is-in-development-86650.html


ComSonics, a Virginia-based company, is developing a radar gun-like device with which police officers will be able to detect drivers who are texting. The gadget uses the telltale radio frequencies that emit from a vehicle when someone inside is using a cellphone.

According to the source, a text message emits different frequencies to phone call and data transfer, that can be distinguished by the device the tech company is working at. Even though texting while driving is not illegal in all of U.S., it would prove particularly useful for law enforcement in states such as Virginia, where it’s banned.

ComSonics is a tech company based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, that started in the cable TV industry and provides calibration services for speed enforcement equipment.

The only problem is whether engineers will find a way to identify who's phone was being used or they just going to stop cars with just one driver.
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This is a well written article & poses a lot of questions as to the workability of this device.

The UPDATE Section questions the how, the what could go wrong, & the why.

If this interests fellow DUers, the comment section is also worth a read. Great questions & dissection of the validity of this device.
Yes texting & driving is a wreck waiting to happen, in many cases, HOWEVER, I have to worry a bit since it can also be (ahem) misused in the hands of a not-so-credible police force, and there's a line where I see a civil liberties issue, perhaps.

[misterhighwasted]

1. From the comment section at link: "To much control and risk for abuse..."

"This is BS I can text someone using voice commands and never touch the keyboard and this "radar detector" will not be able to tell the difference."

"I do not like this. To much control and risk for abuse which is already proven it is happening."

"I am certainly not for texting and driving that's for sure but being an engineer in the mobile industry, I can tell you that mobile transmit without user interaction for a whole host of reasons. This system is going produce a lot of false positives and great headaches, time and wasted money for people defending themselves on false charges. It wouldn't take me ten minutes to blow this thing out of the water in a court case. Good intentions - bad idea

[safeinOhio]

2. I'd be in favor of no cell phone use in any moving car.

How many times have I sat behind someone talking on a phone and being so distracted they didn't pay any attention to the light that turned green a minute ago. I also ride motorcycles and fear the driver coming at me that doesn't have his or her full attention to the task of driving.

I'd be all for a huge increase in areas to pull off the road and put the car in park while talking or texting. Sorry if giving up the phone while driving would ruin your day, but other folks life and health seem way more important to me.

[misterhighwasted]

3. Certainly agree. Your point is shared by many, I am sure.

We could all list similar situations like yours. Its gotten so bad & I live in a city that has banned cell use completely in many areas. You'd never know it though,

[NYC_SKP]

4. My car has bluetooth to my cell phone, all hands free. Do you think that's hazardous?

I'd argue that it's soothing to have a conversations while driving, not distracting.

[safeinOhio]

6. Then why do people talking on the phone

sit at the light when it turns green?

Some calls may be soothing, others, not so much. As I recall life went on quite well before mobil phones. Sometimes it was hard to find a pay phone right away, that's why I suggest the addition of lots of pull-offs. I know I've read about studies that show talking on a cell diverts attention from the task of driving, hands or no hands.

[NYC_SKP]

8. My guess is that they are clueless either way.

Even without phones, people change lanes without looking, barge through stop signs or fail to yield, etc.

I think hand held phone use should not be allowed, I agree that it's distracting, and texting even more so as you have to divert your eyes to the screen to read and write.

Bluetooth plays the conversation through the car's stereo system, no hands, no need to take your eyes off the road.

[safeinOhio]

9. Here it is.

Many people know texting while driving increases crash risk. But cell phone conversation while driving is also risky. Talking on hands-free or handheld cell phones requires the brain to multitask – a process it cannot do safely while driving.

To explain what happens to the human brain when talking on cell phones while driving, NSC has a white paper, “Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while talking on hands-free phones is risky behavior:”

http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Pages/CognitiveDistraction.aspx

[DesertFlower]

13. i agree.

[jberryhill]

5. "stop cars with just one driver"

If a car has more than one driver, it should be stopped regardless of whether anyone is texting.

[safeinOhio]

7. Or put some teeth in the law like

not being able to own a cell phone for one year if caught. Or a choice, no driving or no cell for one year.

[misterhighwasted]

10. LoL

[Travis_0004]

11. Are there exceptions for the drivers ed cars from the 70s with two steering wheels?

[jberryhill]

12. there were ones with two steering wheels?

My instructor just had a brake.

[Nitram]

14. Is this really a "radar gun-like device?"

Sounds more like a receiver of some sort.