The industry has also collectively sponsored a radio and television public service announcement campaign aimed at making drivers aware of the dangers of the numerous potential distractions they face behind the wheel. It was first launched in 2001, and under the direction of CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent it was refreshed and retitled, “Remember, with wireless, safety is your call.” The effort has resulted in millions of dollars worth of airtime. Member companies and CTIA have combined to distribute safe driving messages in millions of consumer bill stuffers and educational brochures and hundreds of thousands customer information packets and employee newsletters.

Researching Technological Solutions
Motorola has launched a major research program aimed at solving the problem of cell phones that distract drivers. The early fruits of that research have been on the market for several years in the form of award winning, hands-free car kits.

The Motorola technology consists of a small oval device with three buttons and a microphone. Once installed on the dashboard of the car, it provides a voice command interface to the cell phone and enables voice dialing, answering, and hanging up. “The idea is to let you keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” says Gardner.

To use the car kit, the cell phone must have a Bluetooth interface. “Bluetooth is a wireless protocol, a way to communicate wirelessly with the hands-free car kit,” explains Gardner. “You speak into the microphone on the car kit device. And you listen to the conversation on speakers. Some kits come with their own speakers; others use the sound system already installed in the car.”

The next generation of hands-free cell phone technology for vehicles will be a Motorola phone capable of downloading music from the web and playing music back through head-phones. “Or you can use Bluetooth to stream the audio to the stereo,” Gardner says. “In the car, you can install a circuit board that will enable the phone to stream music into the car speakers, again using Bluetooth. That board will also support hands-free cell phone operation. When a call comes in, the system will even mute the music you are listening to so you can take the call.”

From Bluetooth To Blue Sky
Gardner’s team is also researching future cell phone technology. What, for example, could a cell phone be made to do if it were somehow tuned into the driving context?

Motorola has actually built a proto-type, called the Polite Phone. When you hop into your car, cell phone on your belt, the phone detects the change and automatically changes to hands-free operation. While driving, suppose you are involved in a complex driving maneuver — making a sharp turn while applying the brakes, for instance. The phone will notice and route any incom-ing calls to voice mail. Later, it lets you know about the call. While you are cruising, it will let calls through, but only from callers that you have placed on an approved driving list.

When you reach your destination and get out of the car, the phone switches back to normal operation. What could be less distracting?