A Contemporary Approach Towards Curbing Cell Phone Use Related Road Mishaps

Though there are multiple reasons for road mishaps, the use of cell phones during driving is revealed to be the most alarming. Mobile phone-use while driving, regardless of whether text messages, browsing or voice calls, whether hand-held or hands-free reduces the focus and readiness of the driver, jeopardizing the safety of road users. In this research, the important task of detecting and controlling cell phone related driver distractions is addressed. The paper introduces a smart vehicle technology which could make the drivers more alert and focused during driving and also push them to refrain from offensive situations such as texting, browsing or calling while on roads. The approach is to use technology to automatically detect the driver’s offensive gestures and consequently block the text, email and browser applications in his mobile device. The proposed safety enforcement applies only to the person in the driver’s seat, and does not affect the mobile data connectivity of fellow passengers. The recommended system allows automatic service resumption in the parking mode or the safe-speed mode. The proposal is intended to get closer to the vision of safe and accident-free driving by providing a means to curb the preventable mishaps due to human negligence.