Wednesday, February 01, 2012 — Oxnard, CA – Drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves (NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Distracted driving is a growing and valid concern. Scosche Industries is pleased to announce its highly anticipated cellCONTROL safe driving system in now available. Demonstrating continued innovation in the automotive aftermarket industry, Scosche cellCONTROL is designed to assist drivers with safe driving practices by disabling distracting functions of a smartphone when driving.
According to a study by Virginia Tech/NHTSA, the No.1 source of driver inattention is the use of a wireless device. And a recent study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) noted that of all cell phone related tasks – including talking, dialing, or reaching for the phone – texting while driving is the most dangerous.
Scosche’s Safe Driving System automatically disables the most distracting functions of a smartphone including handheld phone calls, texting and emailing capabilities. As the vehicle begins to move, cellCONTROL will automatically connect to the users phone via Bluetooth to disable distracting functions. The system is completely tamper proof and will automatically alert the system’s administrator with any removal, deactivation or other misuse.
“Although some states like California have laws against distracted driving, the reality is people still use their devices while operating a moving vehicle. Statistics don’t lie – the danger of distracted driving is there,” said Kas Alves, executive vice president, Scosche Industries. “We developed our Safe Driving System because we believe it’s a product that will help to keep people safe on the roads – and we would want to use it ourselves.”
Scosche’s Safe Driving System easily connects to a vehicle’s OBD2 port and communicates with the smartphone in the vehicle. All vehicles sold in the United States from 1996 all come standard with an OBD2 port. Setup is simple, first customers will register the product online then install the application on the user’s smartphone and plug the trigger into the car. Out of the box, Scosche’s Safe Driving System will enable phone calls with a hands-free device and completely disengages texting, emailing, web access and applications on a smartphone. Users can still play music from their phones.
Upgradeable features include reporting capabilities, such as mileage, average speed and enable the administrator to have further control of what is disabled on the users phone. Additionally, users can enable a multi-license account for multiple phones. Users may even qualify for insurance discounts with the use of the Scosche cellCONTROL.
Some alarming statistics from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Authority (NHTSA) indicated the following:
• 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA).
• Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashed, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). (NHTSA)
• The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group – 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving.
“As parents ourselves, we understand the concern of distracted teen driving,” continued Alves. “Our Safe Driving System will give parents piece of mind that their teen has less distracters while driving.”
Scosche’s cellCONTROL Safe Driving System retails for $129.95 and is now available at www.scosche.com and specialty retailers. Visit our website for additional information or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
