Just heard about a new product Izup

[DammitJanet]

This could be something that many of us here with teens that are driving and have cellphones might really be interested in.

Izup is a new service or application that is downloaded to the phone and prevents users from receiving phone calls, texts or IM's while driving. It will not start up again at red lights either. The car must shut off. It will allow calls to 911 and pre-set numbers such as mom and dad.

The cost is $5 a month or $50 a year. I dont think that is bad considering the danger of texting while driving and that seems to be something that teens or young adults are doing so often lately.

 

[Shari]

That's cool!

My car would still have mirrors if we'd had that with difficult child 1! lol

 

[Star*]

I don't know if anyone watched GMA the other morning, but there was a woman on there that has a Senator backing her who lost her daughter due to cellphone/driving and now she is on the rampage to get all cellphone use banned while driving. She said it's distracting no matter WHAT age you are.

This senator is trying to fashion a bill that would make it a federal law prohibiting any use of a cell phone in a car period. I think the little girl was 9. I'm not sure of the full story I only caught the tail end. I actually was almost killed three days ago because of a teenager getting ON the freeway at 5:00 traffic TEXTING.....she was doing 35 in a NEED TO GO 65....and almost got us both killed.....she was TOTALLY and COMPLETELY oblivious to the fact that a semi nearly swiped both of us off the face of the earth. Needless to say I forgot I was a Christian Mother and saluted HER with my fist. Sad to say - she didn't see THAT either. STILL texting, weaving in and out of the berm and right hand lane....laughing. I found NOTHING funny about it and wondered if I had gotten her license and called the state highway patrol if she would have gotten pulled over????

OR...if it would have been HER word against MINE. SHE could have used

wIZUP.....wizeup or IZUP.....

 

[witzend]

I see people texting while driving every day, and I rarely drive more than a couple of miles. It's probably almost as bad that I sit there and oggle them doing it like I'm waiting for a train wreck! Or a car wreck.

We got the hands free law here January 1 which "Prohibits person of any age from operating motor vehicle while using mobile communication device. Does allow for hands free operation." I don't think you can text hands free... I hope that they will enforce it. It's terrifying!

 

[Mattsmom277]

Cellphones in cars are a pet peeve of mine. Big time.

We have had the law for a while now here that it is illegal to use while driving. (Handsfree is fine)

True story from our local news about a month or so ago.

A military police officer was driving on a main road in our city at rush hour. He stopped at a 4 way light that intersects the highway. This is a crazy busy intersection.

Light turns green. Car in front of him doesn't drive. He is puzzled. He sits through another red light. Light turns green. Car STILL doesn't proceed through intersection. He gets out of his POLICE CAR and walks up to the car, knocks on the window. Asks the woman driving if she needs roadside assistance. She asks why. He says because you've been sitting here through several light changes at a very busy highway intersection. She waves her cell phone at him and tells him she doesn't need help, she was busy on her cellphone!! Incredulous, he asks why on earth she is sitting dangerously holding up traffic to take a phone call. She responded that she can't DRIVE will on her phone. So she answered a call and followed the law to not drive while using her phone.

WHAT A NUMB NUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He gave her a blast of you know what. He then called the city police who have jurisdiction since he only does on the military base, and had her charged with some traffic violation or another.

People that stupid shouldn't be ALLOWED to drive vehicles.

 

[susiestar]

In our town/county if you are on a cell phone while driving the cops pull you over and cite you for reckless driving. They have for over 6 years now. I think we have a law about it specifically but our cops never waited. One reason the Sheriff got re-elected is because this. The college kids hate it but the voting people LOVE it!

 

[GoingNorth]

To make matters even worse, there have been studies done that show that talking on a cellphone with a hands-free set is almost as bad as actually holding the phone.

I simply don't use the phone while driving. Incoming calls go to voicemail. There is nothing so important that it can't wait for me to find a safe place to pull off and return the call if needed.

I don't text at all as while I can type well over 60WPM, I simply cannot type with my thumbs.

 

[Marguerite]

We have specific laws in Australia that prohibit driving while holding and using a mobile phone. Same goes for iPods - no fiddling with them while driving along.

Hands-free is fine.

I was just saying yesterday - I want Bluetooth on my next phone. But knowing my luck, it will probably be obsolete by then!

I do have a plug-in ear piece and microphone on my mobile phone but I have trouble getting those ear pieces to stay in my ear. I find I need to wear a turban and/or turtleneck sweater to keep mike and ear piece in place. However, I've successfully driven round the centre of Sydney CBS in peak hour while talking on the phone. I had both hands on the steering wheel and both eyes on the road (looking for a parking spot/somewhere to pull over to collect a friend, we were going to the Opera House). I found it very useful indeed as I was able to organise the pick-up and a parking spot without it interfering with my driving. Mind you, I looked a bit odd wearing my purple turban with a green scarf tied round my neck to hold the mike in place! It's a throat mike, it picks up from being snuggled next to my larynx. I can speak really softly and it picks me up loud and clear.

Trust a country where talking while holding a phone can be illegal at times, to have the technology to do it legally!

Mind you, we're still always seeing idiots texting or talking while driving along. Even I have been guilty of glancing at a text message, to see if I need to pull over and return a call, or even turn back to go meet someone. But I usually only do it while stopped at traffic lights, or when on a straight stretch of the open road with nobody else in sight.

But making a call while holding the phone and then driving with one hand - nope. It's just too risky when you have to suddenly grab the wheel, or find yourself in difficulties if a corner turns out to be sharper than you had anticipated.

Good luck with the legislation. But it needs to be workable, you don't want to make things worse by having laws in place that are just too impractical.

Marg

 

[Star*]

I have a manual car -

Just to see.......In my own yard:

I dialed, shifted, braked, flipped, texted, talked, www.dotted, googled, answered a text....shifted again. Parked, stopped texting, hung up and then got out of my pink Barbie Jeep just in time to let Betty Spaghetti (Luu-Luu) and Blues Clues(Pootie) rush past me on a 3 wheeler going to the Little Tykes doll house. Ridiculous!!

You would think they'd make puppies wear helmets!

 

[DammitJanet]

I can handle talking on the phone. My phone has a button on the side that lets me press it and voice dial. Makes it much easier than having to find a number to dial. If someone calls me, all I have to do is hit a button on my touch screen and it answers. I would like a bluetooth but I just dont have one. I cant stand earbuds. They fall out.

 

[Star*]

I can't stand ear wax.....it stays in.

 

[Marguerite]

That's a point, Star. I don't have earwax problems either, I'm wondering if it is the same reason that I can't keep ear buds in.

For my iPod, I have got those little squishy ear buds with a silicone bubble. They stay in really well. I wish I could get them for my phone. Until I do, I'll have to keep wearing my turban and use the cloth to hold the ear bud in.

Marg