Simon Lauder reported this story on Thursday, July 2, 2015 18:30:00

MARK COLVIN: A solution may be on the way to the safety problems caused by driving and using a mobile phone.



An American technology developer is in Australia with a device which blocks text messages and calls while the user is driving.



Simon Lauder reports.



SIMON LAUDER: Professor Narelle Haworth from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland says if people knew how dangerous it is to use a mobile phone while driving, they'd think twice about it.



NARELLE HAWORTH: Using a mobile phone increases your crash risk by about four times. That's about equivalent to driving with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) double the legal limit.



SIMON LAUDER: She says mobile phone use is implicated in about 25 per cent of crashes, and Victoria Police inspector Bernie Rankin says mobile phones are a big contributor to the road toll.



BERNIE RANKIN: Look it's very hard to quantify the precise numbers. We have a number of investigations where we can show that the precise time of the crash a driver was using a mobile phone.



SIMON LAUDER: American technology developer Scott Tibbitts has come up with a solution, a small device that plugs into a portal which can be found beneath the steering wheel of most cars made in the last couple of decades.



SCOTT TIBBITTS: When the car starts moving, this connects to the internet and then we connect with the telco and have them hold onto distractions.



And we're able to actually break it into pieces so that we hold onto things like texts and Snapchats and Instagrams which are distracting, but then let through music and navigation - the that things you might need while you're driving.



Then when you get to the end of your drive and you turn your key off, all those messages that were stored are sent to the phone.



SIMON LAUDER: There are already apps which block incoming text messages and silence phone calls, but they have to be consciously activated by the user.



In an interview with the ABC, Mr Tibbitts says the most effective solution has to remove temptation, and that means being connected to the internet so the phone company knows when to block calls, texts, Facebook notifications and other distractions.



SCOTT TIBBITTS: I know it isn't important but I can't help myself. I always hear that - "I can't help myself". There's a surprising number of people that say if there was a tool that kept me from being distracted, just take away the temptation.



SIMON LAUDER: Mr Tibbitts is in Australia to talk with telecommunications and insurance companies about his gadget. He's hoping to get a trial going this year.



SCOTT TIBBITTS: Some of the folks in leadership in Australia reached out and said this is something we need would you come down here? And the fascinating thing is how quickly things have gone in Australia.



Unexpected market and there's a lot of interest, a lot of need and things here are moving much quickly, so right now we're not quite sure whether it's going to deploy first here or in the US - a pretty exciting time actually.



SIMON LAUDER: But it will only be a solution if people embrace the idea and are willing to pay for it.



Professor Narelle Haworth says the device won't make a difference if people aren't convinced to change their behaviour.



NARELLE HAWORTH: Will people want to have it if it's a voluntary thing, or would you need some sort of technology that becomes mandatory in order for it to be effective?



SIMON LAUDER: Victoria Police inspector Bernie Rankin says he welcomes any technology that reduces the road toll. And if the device, or gadgets like it, prove successful it will be up to governments to decide whether they become compulsory for drivers.



BERNIE RANKIN: As we've seen over the years as technology improves, of course these things actually get embedded in legislation. We look at cameras, speed cameras.



SIMON LAUDER: It may not go that far, but there could soon be incentives for drivers to keep their eyes and hands off their phones. Hollard Insurance, which includes Woolworths Insurance and Medibank Private, has confirmed it's in talks with Mr Tibbitts about his invention.



MARK COLVIN: Simon Lauder.