John Oxley reports on a stunning, and reasonably priced, device which not only will save lives, but also keep an eye on what your drivers are doing on the road.
It takes at least five seconds to look at a text on your cell phone. If you’re travelling at 50km/h that means you’ll have travelled 14m – that’s the length of three cars – without knowing what’s happening in front of you. At 100km/h it’s twice that distance.
Do you want to kill someone? Or be killed yourself? Or if you’re an employer, do you want to be the relevant PCBU – Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking – under the new Health and Safety regulations due out on April 4, and find yourself facing a huge fine or worse?.
Grant Eveleigh is managing director of DLG International. And a few years ago he saw a device in America which is designed to stop drivers texting at the wheel, or even making or taking phone calls without a Bluetooth hands-free connection.
“I loved it. It works so well alongside a dedicated hands-free kit or connection,” Grant told me.
So why the wait? Well, it has taken off so well in the States that “internationalisation” took a back seat while the business grew there, spurred on by legislation where 46 states have banned texting while driving. But now the device, called Textstopper, is available in New Zealand, and at pricing which makes it an attractive proposition for fleets and private individuals alike.
The device, about the size of your palm, fits onto the windscreen of the car with double-sided tape, and there’s absolutely no need to do anything further with it, as its batteries are recharged by the sun – although there is a facility to charge them using a mini USB connection.
“I’ve been using one for about a month now,” said Grant, “and didn’t even put it onto the car, as I change cars, so I left it in the glovebox. And the battery is still strong, and the Textstopper still working as it should”.
The main purpose of the Textstopper is to stop texts, emailing, Facebook, and other inappropriate use of a mobile phone by the driver, although the device can be set up to allow others to use their own phones in the car. There’s a downloadable smartphone app., coupled with desktop control, and more devices can easily be added to the desktop app. by a fleet manager so he can keep track of the whole fleet if necessary.
In addition, each Textstopper can be configured for up to five devices/phones per vehicle, enabling the vehicle to be used by more than one person
“You can customise each Textstopper according to you needs; you can zone the vehicle, so for, instance, only the driver is affected, or maybe both front seat occupants,” said Grant.
“And you can customise it to suit your own company policy, so if no calls are allowed at all, then that’s possible too”.
The Textstopper has a built-in GPS, so it will know when the vehicle has stopped and the driver can then use the phone. However, having this GPS has also opened up other possibilities for the fleet manager, and the Textstopper also allows mileage and trip reporting, as well as monitoring and reporting on driving behaviour such as speed, hard cornering, and excessive braking.
Emergency calls are still allowed, however, and the device is tamper-proof. The international product costs $299 retail. More details www.cellcontrol.co.nz.
