BATON ROUGE, La., July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- cellcontrol™, a leading supplier of driving while distracted solutions, announced today that it has adapted its cellcontrol technology to Class A (SAE J1939), an industry standard that will allow cellcontrol to operate within a variety of fleet vehicles including commercial vehicles, big rigs, school busses, heavy equipment and other Class-A vehicles. Utilizing the vehicle's onboard computer, cellcontrol determines when the vehicle is moving at any speed and instantly blocks the use of a driver's cell phone, laptop computer or other mobile device based on a company's distracted driving policy.
Mobile phone functions that cellcontrol can prevent include phone, text, e-mail, Web, push-to-talk and other distracting features. Calling 911 is always allowed as well as incoming texts, emails and calls, which are received but cannot be accessed or responded to while the vehicle is moving. In addition to those features, cellcontrol will also report idle time, mileage and speed capturing for fleet managers who want to ensure their drivers are following correct company policies and procedures when it comes to the operation of their company vehicle.
Federal Rule to Prevent Distracted Driving
In March 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed to Secretary LaHood a new federal rule that would specifically prohibit texting by interstate bus and truck drivers while driving their vehicle. The news came on the heels of President Obama signing an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles or equipment. Federal employees were required to comply with the ban starting on December 30, 2009.
cellcontrol is aimed at helping prevent the 500,000 injury-resulting accidents that are caused each year by the use of a mobile device while driving. Utilizing patent pending technology, cellcontrol can block one or many of the features that come equipped on a mobile phone. Another key feature of cellcontrol is its ability to prevent the use of laptops when a vehicle is moving. This is especially helpful for companies, who manage mobile employees that continuously work on their computers during the course of the work day.
Additionally, cellcontrol enables users to "white list" certain numbers to be allowed through the system. For example, a fleet manager can have only calls from his company go through to their drivers' phone. Users also have the freedom to customize which mobile features they want to prevent. For example, a fleet manager in Austin, Texas. may choose to block only texts and e-mails (since that is currently Austin city law), but still allow phone calls. Additionally, the technology allows for one phone to be paired with many vehicles.
"An accident caused by a driver of a bus or 18-wheeler while using their mobile device has the potential for traumatic results and significantly increases the odds of a fatality in comparison to a passenger vehicle," said Chuck Cox, CEO of cellcontrol. "Because of this very real danger of such negligent activity, as well as federal and state laws, we have now proven our capability to work in both passenger and heavy vehicles, allowing for the first time a safe, reliable and accurate technology solution which will enforce the federal rule preventing bus and truck drivers from texting while driving."
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