Wireless Technology Driven To Distraction

The United States currently lacks federal legislation on the controlled use of cellular telephones and their text-messaging functionality while driving a motor vehicle. Several states have established laws to regulate unnecessary distractions while driving, but the guidelines vary widely from state to state. Of course, when it is necessary to make a call while driving, the prudent approach is to pull off the road for the call, or at least enlist the aid of a hands-free device to use the cellular telephone safely.

Yet, give the cellular industry credit for finding a way to combine cell phones and driving: by using the cellular telephone to control various functions in the car. As the research report below explains, future cell phones and mobile devices will incorporate functionality to adjust heating and cooling systems in hybrid cars, allowing an owner to have their automobile "preheated" for a drive by sending commands with the cellular telephone. What could be nextperhaps using race-car game software to help with the driving so that a phone call and the drive home become one and the same, piloted from a cellular telephone!