With the risks associated with distracted driving now being compared to the dangers of drinking and driving, many parents are using technology in an attempt to stop their teenage sons and daughters from talking and texting while behind the wheel. Their hope is that the number of distracted driving-related accidents will decrease as the possibility of using a cellphone while driving is taken away.

There are currently a number of different technological cellphone banning products that are out on the market. Some use a phone's GPS system to determine when a vehicle is moving, and then blocks cellphones from working. Others connect to a vehicle's diagnostics to turn off cellphones while the vehicle is in motion. Others lock the keys of a cellphone once a vehicle reaches a certain speed.

Overall, many parents are supportive of the technology, and believe it will keep their children safe on the roads because they will be focused on what is going on around them, instead of communicating with a mobile device. Some parents also claim it is reassuring to know that not only are their children safe, but that the roads will be safer for other motorists.

However, looking to the future, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said he's not sure what kind of impact these cellphone blocking technologies will have, as it is still unclear how many will actually implement them.

Looking to the future, it will be interesting to see if more parents start to adopt similar technologies, and if there really is a decrease in distracted driving-related accidents.

What do you think? Should parents be requiring their children to have these types of technologies in vehicles? Should parents also be setting an example by also having the same technologies turned on when driving?

Source: USA Today, "Technology tackles teen drivers' phone distractions," Larry Copeland, Jan. 17, 2012