New ‘Textalyzer’ Device Can Tell Police if You’re Texting While Driving

Brace yourself, the “textalyzer” is coming.

A new law being proposed in New York State could have police looking at how often a driver uses their cellphone when behind the wheel. The new device is called a “textalyzer” and is basically a “digital equivalent” of a Breathalyzer, explained the New York Times.

The device would allow cops to plug into a driver’s personal phone and see what the user has been doing. It could tell if the driver was emailing, texting, or using their phone while behind the wheel.

Currently, forty-six states have banned texting while driving. The device and law hope to prevent fatal car accidents that happen while drivers are texting, which resulted in 431,000 injuries in 2014.

“We’re losing the battle against distracted driving,” associate dean and the director of the Center for Health Communication at Harvard’s School of Public Health, Jay Winsten, shared with the Times.

The device would only be used on certain apps and not give “the officers access to any of the phone’s contents,” shared NowThis.

Many individuals are skeptical about the device’s accuracy as it won’t be able to show if a driver used their phone when they are stopped or had a passenger use the device while driving.

“We need something on the books where people’s behavior can change. [If this bill becomes law], drivers are going to be more afraid to put their hand on the cellphone,” explained Félix W. Ortiz (D-NY).

See more about the textalyzer below.