If researchers at Anna University of Technology in Tamilnadu, India have their way, fatal road accidents caused by people talking on cell phones, which now account for 20% of all fatal accidents on the global mean streets, will be a thing of the past.
They're working on a new technology that would take the cellphone right out of the driver's hands while operating their vehicle; well, not literally, but you get the idea.
The technology, which would be able to detect when a vehicle is in use, would effectively jam the cell phone's signal, preventing it from being used. It could even be setup so as to alert authorities of the attempted cell phone usage, in countries where using a mobile phone while driving is a punishable offense.
Why all the hate for cell phone-wielding drivers? Well, statistics and studies do back up the fact that people talking on cell phones, whether hands-free or not, have slower reaction times, and tend to be more easily distracted from what's going on all around them in the world outside their car (and conversation). This leads to sloppier driving, and a higher rate of accidents among those drivers.
Still, one has to wonder how close technology such as this is coming to infringing on the freedoms of those it would enslave in a cellphone-free driving environment, or whether it already would. While not quite 'Minority Report' in its execution, it's getting dangerously close to the line when someone could have their vehicle registration information passed on to authorities for something they essentially did not even do, as they were prevented from ever doing so by the technology itself.
What do you think of technology such as this being implemented in vehicles or cellphones? Is it a necessity in a world where people just don't care enough about human life to take every step necessary to prevent its loss? Or is it overzealous and possibly freedom-impinging in its ambition and execution?
