Firms Racing to End Texting and Driving

As US regulators step up scrutiny of the dangers of texting while driving, software makers are scrambling to develop cellphone applications that block texts or minimize the distraction of texting. Texting while driving is unsafe: Not only are a driver's eyes off the road, one or both hands are off the wheel. Texting has been implicated in the crash of a Los Angeles train in September, as well as a trolley collision in Boston in May. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have banned texting while driving, with 10 passing laws this year, the Governors Highway Safety Association said. Safe Driving Systems Corp. is building a system that takes over a cellphone's display when its owner starts driving. Calls and text messages are received but can't be accessed, though users can place emergency calls. The system includes an electronic "key" that is installed in the car and emits a Bluetooth signal that disables the keypad while the car is running.