NBC Connecticut Features iZUP
2009-10-12
Darien mom's device shuts teens up
How can you keep your teen from texting or talking on the phone while driving? A Darien mother says she has the solution.
Darcy Ahl developed iZup, the first product from her Illume Software, she tells the Connecticut Post.
It's a software program that works on smart phones with GPS. The GPS detects the speed of the phone in a moving vehicle and when it reaches 5 miles per hour, the phone shuts down the handset and forwards all messages and texts for later retrieval. Missed calls and messages appear when the car comes to a full stop.
Ahl tells the newspaper she got the idea in 2006 when her son first got his driver's license. The two were on I-95 when he swerved across the road trying to retrieve a ringing cell phone in his pocket. Nothing happened, but Ahl says it was clear to her that something needed to be done.
A 2007 study by Nationwide Insurance found drivers ages 16-24 were more likely than any other age group to use an electronic device while driving.
The iZup will be available online next month for $4.95 a month or $49.95 a year.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local-beat/No-Texting-Or-Talking-for-Teen-Drivers-64010607.html
