Cell phone jamming technologies to make the roads safer?

Ray LaHood (Photo: U.S.A. DOT)

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is looking towards new technologies that can prevent drivers from using their cell phones while driving, a trend with an alarming number of fatalities and injuries.

Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood confirmed to MSNBC that the U.S. government is studying various technologies, including devices that can disable phones, in order to curb the use of cell phones behind the wheel.

He went on to say that texting or talking on the phone while driving has claimed nearly 5,500 lives and injured nearly 500,000 people last year.

Using jammers would render all cell phones unusable, however. In other words, even occupants who are not actually driving could no longer use their phones.

Lahood also mentioned that ''you have to have good laws, [...] good enforcement, and [...] people take personal responsibility'' to reverse the dangerous and growing trend of using a cell phone while driving.

Rest assured that cell phone jamming technologies won't be implemented in Canada anytime soon. Still, it will be interesting to see what the U.S. will be doing and if our own government will follow suit. Time will tell if the current actions and education campaigns fail to yield positive results.

^{Source: Auto Guide}