STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — An Ohio company is hoping to put a stop to texting and driving with a new device. The TextBuster will be available soon on store shelves and the company behind it is hoping it’ll save lives.
TextBuster has been in development for years and it’s now ready for public release. The product is manufactured right here in Ohio.
How does device work?
“TextBuster is a passive system. So when you start the vehicle, it puts a lock screen on the driver’s phone. It allows phone calls and navigation,” explained Access2Communications President Brett Barta.
“If they attempt to text email or access the internet, they can’t do it. The lock screen prohibits that.”
Once the car is turned off, your phone will return to normal. Any texts you received while Textbuster was active will still be waiting for you when the system is disengaged. Nothing is deleted, you’re just blocked from seeing it while driving.
And if you’re a worried parent, or the fleet manager for a company, you can setup alerts that let you know the driver’s activity. You can even receive instant alerts.
“I can set safety alerts for speed, zone, certain time of day,” says Barta.
All the features of Textbuster are designed to save lives. According to Barta, distracted driving due to cell phones overtook DUI’s back in 2009. He’s says it’s now the number one cause of distracted driving.
Data from Distraction.gov show the numbers continue to rise. In 2012 alone, 3,328 deaths were attributed to distracted driving.
Barta and his company are happy that they’re efforts may reduce that number.
“We’re very proud that it’s all made here. Right in Ohio. We take a lot of pride in that.”
TextBuster is available for purchase at textbuster.com. It will also be available some time in November at Target locations. It’s $199 for the device itself with no fees thereafter.