Phone auto reply idea to counter text-driving

Mobile phone companies say there is no simple fix to the problem of texting while driving.

There are renewed calls for a ban on cellphone use in cars after the deaths of Samuel and Beverley Keating in September last year.

They were hit near Ashburton by a Toyota ute, driven by Robert Stonestreet, 19.

He admitted being distracted by text messaging. He was also under the influence of alcohol.

Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven said cellphones that could send an auto reply to texts while the owner was driving could be the answer.

But Vodafone New Zealand spokesman Paul Brislen said he was unaware of any cellphone with such a feature.

"The hard part is working out the technology for the auto reply."

Telecom spokeswoman Rebecca Earl also said the company was not aware of an "out of office" function on any cellphone.

"Ultimately, I guess the question is, would this stop people from texting proactively?"

Both companies said they stressed the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving to their customers.

Automobile Association spokesman Mike Noon said it supported a ban on drivers using cellphones, but in tandem with a public awareness campaign about the dangers it posed.

He said young people often felt they had to reply to a text immediately. "In many ways the texting thing is a problem of our time, and it's only going to get worse."

Mr Noon said it seemed strange that no solution was available from cellphone companies. "We'd like to see further investment in it."

Mr Duynhoven said he had always supported a ban on cellphone use while driving, though a proposal he once took to Cabinet along those lines was knocked back four years ago.

He said countries that had banned cellphone use in cars were now struggling to enforce it. "You have got to take the public with you."

The Government was planning a public awareness campaign on the whole issue of driver distraction, including everything from children in the back to changing CDs, Mr Duynhoven said.

But the Green Party accused the Government of stalling on the problem. "The Government is procrastinating, presumably out of fear of public disapproval," said MP Sue Kedgley.

CRASH TOLL

Cellphone-related motoring accidents:

* September 27, 2007: Samuel and Beverley Keating die after being hit by a ute driven by a texting Robert Stonestreet, 19.

* January 23, 2007: Teenage sisters Lucy and Isabelle Simon killed in a crash blamed partly on texting while driving.

* May 26, 2006: Andrew Hicks, 23, distracted by text messages when he crashes into a power pole in Foxton and dies of head injuries.

* October 19, 2004: Actor Cliff Curtis escapes with minor injuries after crashing into a house while distracted by a text message.

* December 5, 2003: Ryan James Townsend, 20, of Wanganui, dies when he crashes while text messaging.

- © Fairfax NZ News