Telco looks at motion lock on mobiles

Vodafone is watching the overseas use of motion sensor technology capable of locking drivers out of most of a mobile phone's functions while it is on the move.

United States carrier Sprint says its Drive First software will automatically divert all calls to voicemail, lock the phone's screen and even ignore text messages when it is moving.

The application will be launched on the US market later this year, but will also be available to download for New Zealanders who have Android-based phones.

Vodafone New Zealand's head of corporate responsibility, Tom Hewitt, said the tele-communications company was monitoring what happened in other countries before deciding if it would create a similar feature.

"We'll see how it works overseas and keep an eye on that, but we don't think it will be a magic solution to the problem," he said.

"The heart of the problem is behaviour, so what we're focusing on more is about encouraging behaviour change and getting people to recognise that it's not safe to use your phone and drive."

He said the application would be most attractive to businesses who had fleets of vehicles and staff who spent most of their time driving.

"It could be of interest to big businesses with fleets, but the most important thing is to have a good policy in place as to what the right driver behaviour is," he said.

A spokeswoman for Vodafone Australia has said the company hoped to announce in the next few months that it would implement "a host of new measures for our customers regarding driver safety".

Telecom spokesman Mark Watts said it had no plans to mimic the technology and if users wanted the feature they could buy it from Sprint.

"All our handsets have an effective in-built feature and that's called the on/off switch... but if a Telecom customer with an Android-phone wanted to download such an application, they're welcome to do so. But our advice remains people should minimise phone use while driving."

Sprint's Drive First application will cost New Zealanders $2.50 a month for a subscription to the service, which the company will launch towards the end of the year.

The technology will also have a feature which allows parents and businesses to access a website which can change the settings on a mobile phone used by their children or employees.