I posted recently about a wonderful new device designed to prevent a driver from being able to use his or her mobile phone manually once the vehicle is started. I expressed concerns at the end of the post that the interlock system could be overridden by inserting other mobile devices into the dock in order to start the vehicle. My concern was based on my interpretation of a news article, which appeared to suggest that Senator Tim Kaine, who was visiting the plant where the plastic component of the device is made, was able to insert his own mobile phone into the interlock system of the inventor’s automobile and start the ignitition.
It turns out that this is not what happened. Below is a comment from the device manufacturer, ORIGOSafe™ :
Michael,
First, I want to thank you so much for the story on the ORIGOSafe™ device! We at ORIGO™ are proud to be getting such wonderful press such as this article.
I do want to address the concern that you voiced near the end of your article regarding interchangeable mobile devices in the dock. The Senator actually did not use his own phone to start the vehicle; he used Mr. Skelton’s phone (wording that was misleading in the original article). Our device is designed to only allow the vehicle to be started and driven when the driver’s phone is securely docked. A passenger’s phone or a dummy phone will not work, as each phone must be authorized by the administrator (parent or fleet manager). We aim to make the ORIGOSafe™ as fool-proof as possible!
Thank you, again, for the coverage. And please visit our site for more info, or with any questions!
www.driveorigo.com
Meg
I encourage our readers to check out the ORIGO website and encourage all drivers and vehicle manufacturers to consider installing such a device into their vehicles.
