Nissan has now revealed its own take to alleviate the problem of accidents caused by distracted drivers with a brand new Accessory. The company unveiled its new Nissan Signal Shield accessory, which basically does what its name implies. The accessory shields the signals coming in and out of any smartphone or other devices thereby rendering it useless while Driving.
Using existing technology
The new Nissan Signal Shield is basically a Faraday cage for smartphones. The contraption uses the same technology that was found on Michael Faraday's invention back in 1836.
The cage is comprised of a woven conductive material that blocks all electromagnetic fields. This results in the complete blockage of any signals, such as Wi-Fi, cellular signals, and Bluetooth from entering the cage.
The urge to reply
Studies have shown that despite the risks involved in texting and talking on the phone while driving, some people just can't resist the urge to do so mainly because of social pressure. Most people apparently feel the need to respond to calls and messages as soon as possible despite the dangers involved with being distracted while driving.
Nissan's solution
Placing a smartphone inside the Nissan Signal Shield is apparently the company's way of solving this problem as users will no longer be tempted by the dings and rings that occur when messages and calls come in.
The familiar sounds that smartphones make are apparently one of the triggers that make users ignore their own sensibility that ultimately puts their lives, and the lives of others, in danger.
The device is still only a prototype, but Nissan has installed it on a Nissan Juke crossover SUV and is studying if it can become a viable feature that can be added to their other vehicles.
The company also stated that their aim for the new accessory is to reduce the instances of distracted passengers by taking away their phone's ability to distract them.
Samsung offers another solution
Aside from Nissan, other companies have also provided their own solutions to prevent accidents caused by smartphone distractions.
Samsung has recently launched an exclusive Samsung app called "In-Traffic Reply," which automatically replies to texts and calls when it detects that the user is driving. The app automatically takes over when it senses that the user might be driving. It does this by using the device's different sensors such as GPS, gyros, accelerometers, and other sensors.
