A "textalyzer" that spots distracted driving, like a breathalyzer detects drunk driving, is being developed to help police determine if a motorist was illegally using a smartphone device while operating a vehicle.
The Israeli firm Cellebrite is working on the "textalyzer" technology, reported the tech website
Ars Technica.
"Cellebrite has been leading the adoption of field mobile forensics solutions by law enforcement for years, culminating in the formal introduction of our UFED FIELD series product line a year ago," Jim Grady, the chief executive officer of Cellebrite, said in a company statement.
Cellebrite was rumored at one time to have helped the FBI in cracking the cell phone of Syed Rizwan Farook, who was connected with the San Bernardino terrorist attack, noted the
Washington Post.
Two New York legislators are hoping to usher through a law that would allow law enforcement to use similar technology when stopping drivers suspected of distracted driving.
State Rep. Terrence Murphy and Felix Ortiz, the New York Assembly assistant speaker, introduced a bill last week that would allow state police to investigate cellphones at accident sites in a way that avoids the driver's personal data.
"The facts regarding distracted driving are startling," Murphy said. "Every year thousands of Americans are involved in an automobile accident a result of distractions behind the wheel."
The public awareness organization Distracted Operators Risk Casualties is advocating for the law and technology. Ben Lieberman, one of its founders, lost a son in an accident with a distracted driver in 2011.
"The general public knows distracted driving is a problem, but if people knew the extent of the damage caused by this behavior, they would be amazed," Lieberman said. "With our current laws, we're not getting accurate information because the issue is not being addressed at the heart of the problem – with the people causing the collisions."