Two New Devices in Battle Against Texting While Driving

 Posted on October 19, 2017 in Traffic Violations

By now, virtually everyone knows that using a cell phone or other mobile device to send text messages or emails while driving is extremely dangerous. It also against the law in most states. If you are cited for texting while driving in Illinois, fines start at $75 for a first offense and go up from there. Thanks to two new pieces of technological innovation, however, it may soon be more difficult for drivers to text while behind the wheel but easier for the police to know that drivers have been texting.

Limits for Teen Drivers

Derive Systems, a company that specializes in automotive technology, says that it will be releasing a new device in 2018 that limits what a driver can do while driving. According to company officials, the Derive Teen Driver plugs into the vehicle’s diagnostic port and makes logic adjustments to the car’s computer. The device can be set—ostensibly by parents—to limit the vehicle’s speed, to prevent the car from starting if the driver is not wearing a seatbelt, and even to lock and disable the driver’s cell phone.

Full details are not yet available regarding how the system prevents drivers from using their phones, but Derive says parents are certainly to exercise more control over their teens’ driving. Derive Teen Driver will be introduced at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next January.

The Textalyzer

When one father learned that his college-aged son had died in a car accident in 2011, he suspected that texting while driving had played a role in the crash. It took the man six months of legal action to get the other driver’s cell phone records—records that only showed possible phone calls or data transfers, not the use of apps like Instagram or Kik. Following his son’s death, the man became an activist against texting while driving, and his efforts pushed one company to develop a device called the Textalyzer.

Created by Cellebrite, the Textalyzer is about the size of a tablet computer and can be plugged into a cell phone to analyze the phone’s system logs. Without showing phone numbers or data, the Textalzyer will retrieve information about calls or texts made from the phone. The device still does not give the police access to app history.

The Textalyzer is currently being reviewed by public and traffic safety committees nationwide, including the Public Safety Committee in Chicago, as there are serious concerns about violations of personal privacy. As it currently stands, police must obtain a warrant to search a person’s cell phone, even after an arrest. Proponents of the device claim that it does not reveal phone numbers or message content, so it would be legal. Critics believe that the use of the Textalyzer would be a clear violation of constitutional rights. It remains to be seen if such a device will soon be in the hands of police departments across the country.

We Can Help

If you or your child has received a citation for texting while driving, it is important to fully understand your options before simply paying the fine. Contact an experienced traffic violations attorney in Rolling Meadows to discuss your case. Call 847-253-3100 for a free consultation today.

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/12/derive-systems-teenage-driver-will-keep-teens-from-texting-and-driving.html

https://www.marketplace.org/2017/10/16/life/device-detect-texting-while-driving-raises-legal-questions