You know something good is about to be discovered when a group of geeks put their heads together to think, think, think. I say this because, recently, University of Utah researchers have developed an automobile ignition key that prevents teenagers from talking on cell phones or sending text messages while driving. How cool is this, eh? Two-thumbs up from parents!

How does this work? Well, imagine your teenager grabbing the car keys, turns on the ignition, and just like magic… their phone won’t work for text messaging or voice calls (without bluetooth).

The university has obtained provisional patents and licensed the invention – Key2SafeDriving – to a private company that hopes to see it on the market within six months at a cost of less than $50 per key plus a yet-undetermined monthly service fee.

“The key to safe driving is to avoid distraction,” says Xuesong Zhou, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering who co-invented the system with Wally Curry, a University of Utah graduate now practicing medicine in Hays, Kan. “We want to provide a simple, cost-effective solution to improve driving safety.”

I do hope this gadget makes it to the assembly lines. It’s a great idea, and will surely reduce cellphone/driving caused accidents.

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