DOT exploring technology that would disable cell phones in cars
By Sara Jerome - 12/03/10 10:52 AM ET

The Transportation Department is looking into technology to disable cell phones in vehicles, according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

"There's a lot of technology out there that can disable phones and we're looking at that," LaHood said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

"A number of those people came to our distracted driving meeting here in Washington and that's one way," he said.

LaHood seemed to suggest that this technology has a good chance of making its way into cars.

"I think it will be done," he said.

Wireless companies see signal scrambling technology as a blunt instrument in the fight against distracted driving, pointing out that cell phones are just one distraction in the car.

UPDATE: DOT spokeswoman Olivia Alair wrote in confirming that the the department is examining this technology. She added that the department has "no intention" at this point to require it. She pointed to a statement from LaHood that said his campaign has focused on "raising awareness, getting good laws on the books, stepping up enforcement, and most importantly, taking personal responsibility."

I second Aizle. Car companies wont allow it to happen. They're putting too much money into things like the Ford Sync systems.

Pagers and Payphones.

Can they disable putting on makeup and fixing your hair or reading the newspaper?

Or talking to your passenger?

Where you'd likely see this technology come into play would be with commercial vehicles, not personal vehicles. That's if it ever gets past the investigation stage.

Soundproof walls surrounding all passenger seats.

Turn every car on the road into a mobile dead spot... what does that do to people walking on the sidewalk when a car goes by?

Do payphones even exist anymore outside military bases where people use phone cards to call from them?

Seriously it has to have been 10 years since I saw one.

In any case, this may be the most ham-handed example of government overinvolvement in relatively minor social problems ever, even if it is only research. Talk about using a sledgehammer to swat a fly.