Local police could use “texter detector” device to catch distracted drivers

A new device in development called a “texter detector” could help Vancouver-area police bust distracted drivers using their cellphones behind the wheel.

The “texter detector” is being tested out by a CATV industry products company, ComSonics, based in the United States. ComSonics says a number of U.S. police forces have expressed interest in testing out the device in their jurisdictions, according to News1130.

The device works by detecting the variations in frequencies emitted from a vehicle when someone is using their cellphone for data, calls, or texting.

Of course, that someone isn’t necessarily the driver, which is why Abbotsford Police Department’s Constable Ian McDonald is intrigued by the “texter detector,” but believes it would still be up to “good old fashioned police work” to nab a distracted driver.

For the Vancouver Police Department, combating distracted driving is a major campaign. The VPD says they have caught all sorts of creative drivers breaking the law behind the wheel, including someone who disguised his cellphone inside a coffee cup. One Vancouverite managed to rack up 26 distracted driving citations between 2010 and 2014.

Distracted driving remains the third leading cause of fatal collisions in British Columbia.

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