Device Would Block Driver's Cell Phone

Annoyed with the danger posed by drivers talking on their cell phones, UPS deliveryman Fred Wenz teamed up with a friend, John Fischer, to invent a device that could do something about it.

The two formed Try Safety First and filed a provisional patent on the Owner Compliance Key, an electronic device that blocks cell phone signals in a 5-foot radius, or the space around the driver’s seat. The device can be set to be active only on a secondary key — for instance, one handed to a teenager.

Cell phones in cars is a growing safety concern, and five states ban their use while driving, while six ban texting, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimates that 2,600 people die and 12,000 are severely injured each year due to cell phone use in cars.

Wenz and Fischer say they think they can mass-produce the device for as little as $10 per vehicle. Would you consider installing a cell phone blocker in your car? Maybe in the vehicle your teen driver uses? Let us know in the comments.

Inventors’ Device Blocks Cell Use Around Driver (USA Today)

Comments

Only 5 foot? Can they make it larger so that it can cover the next car too?

Not sure if this is a leagal thing. The FCC Law says that the devices can't intefere with other devices's operation.

Bad idea. Someone in need of help would not be able to place an emergency call without distancing themselves from their keys - an action that may be impossible or dangerous in an emergency situation.

So...if the engine's running and the car's in park and the parking brake's on, you still can't make a call.

It very well maybe illegal under current law but the idea and purpose of the product does have merit. Unlike other jammers which are used to block other peoples cell phones, this jammer is intended to only jam the signals within the car. Great idea IF you had a teenager with a cell phone problem. Quite possibly a very bad idea if your teen doesn't have a problem...they may need to call 911 from inside the car after an accident.

Or if, God forbid, your teen were to be car jacked/abducted...if they're in a car with one of these devices their cell phone won't be able to receive signals. Which would make it harder for police to track where they might have been taking to. Cops have solved murders by being able to track cell phone signals...not just of people making calls but every time someone calls your phone or sends you a text it bounces off cell phone towers whether you answer it/read it or not...but if the signal can't reach your phone SOL

yeah it seems like a good idea , but what happens in a emergency , say an accident an the child is trapped , suddenly looses its appeal doesnt it, maybe a better idea would be parents who actually parents , who actually parent ,and take away the kids useage of the car if found using the phone while driving , a better idea would be a device to monitor if the kid if using there cell while driving, and then tattles back to the parents

What did people do before cellular telephones?
What happened to self-sufficiency?

A VERY BAD IDEA!!!!!!!! GOD HELP US THE DEMOCRATS WANT TO CONTROL EVERYTHING!!!!!

Seems like a great idea if you can address the concerns from the other comments. Except maybe Rick's, he obviously has a problem with progress and change.

that is so cool! and perfect timing with more and more states banning driving while texting, the accident statistics for texters are scary!: http://www.newsy.com/videos/texting_and_driving_your_right_or_a_new_way_to_crash

I don't support this product, but if you read their site, it says that 911 emergency calls will not be blocked via the device.