New mobile service automatically diverts mobiles when driving

Canada's Aegis Mobility has announced that it's entered into a partnership with the USA's Nationwide Insurance, offering drivers a discount if they use the Aegis Mobility's DriveAssist technology. DriveAssist - which is expected to be implemented from next year - uses software on the phone to detect when a phone is in a car that's being driven. It then diverts calls and text messages, while offering an override facility for passengers and emergency calls. [Press release]

Teen Drivers Often Ignore Bans on Using Cellphones and Texting

Teen Drivers Often Ignore Bans on Using Cellphones and Texting. Yes, that’s the headline. No great surprise. Apparently mobile phone use by teenage drivers rose in North Carolina after the state banned drivers aged under 18 from using their mobiles behind the wheel, according to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of North Carolina. However, the drivers themselves said they supported the restrictions, which forbid hand-held and hands-free phone use. Before the ban at the end of 2006, 11% of young drivers were seen to be using their mobiles as they drove away from school or college – but this rose to 12% five months later. In neighbouring South Carolina, where there’s no similar ban, mobile phone use remained at around 13%. [Source: Insurance Journal; University of North Carolina]

Text messaging to any car registration nuumber

A new online service at Txt2reg.com is offering a simple way for mobile phone users to contact a stranger in a car. As the website says: "Ever spotted someone in a car you fancied meeting or chatting to? Our new mobile text service will now give you the chance to contact that person!"

Nick Anderson, whose company runs the website, sees the service as being particularly appealing to young single people. It's only available to drivers who register their car registration number with Txt2reg. Text messages sent to their car registration number are then forwarded to their mobile, keeping the mobile number private. The service costs £1.50 to register and £1.50 to send a message, with no charge to receive messages. [Press release]