Report: Hyundai Files Patent For Onboard Phone Disabler

2015 Hyundai Sonata interior (Credit: Hyundai)

Hyundai seems to have a cure for people who “drive” while using their phones, putting everyone else on the road at risk. The South Korean automaker has filed a patent for a device that would limit the functionality of cell phones inside cars.

According to Autoblog’s report, the patent reveals that the device could simply limit cell phones in the driver’s seat area, or for the entire car interior. Certain functions such as texting and placing calls could be blocked based on the vehicle’s speed.

The way the new system would work involves positioning small antennas at strategic points in the vehicle. Whenever the system detects a cell phone signal, it can filter out different functions. Rather than it working the same way all the time, some factors like the time of day or who is calling can determine what gets filtered out. At the moment, it seems that for the system to work on a phone it would have to have a specific app or firmware already installed.

Recent studies about the risks of distractions and young drivers, such as the one put on by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, have shown that teenagers are actually incredibly dangerous drivers primarily because they use of mobile devices behind the wheel. Other automakers have turned to different safety innovations that aim to keep younger drivers in check, such as Ford’s MyKey system. GM has been playing with using eye and head tracking to determine when drivers are distracted, helping them stay focused on what’s going on around the vehicle.

Just because Hyundai has filed this patent doesn’t mean you’ll ever see such technology in a car. If the tech does make it to production vehicles, the launch date is likely a few years out, at least. Sadly, we wouldn’t need all of this technology if people could just exercise some common sense and not use their phone while driving.