All About Japan Autos

We all know texting while driving is dangerous and wrong. But, it can be so tempting that technology is coming to rescue us from our weaker impulses. Ford has a system that blocks texts and calls while the car is moving. And now State Farm has a Smartphone app that keeps you from texting while driving by automatically texting while you drive. Yeah, we were confused at first too.

CNet explains that State Farm’s On the Move Widget “is essentially an SMS auto-responder that will intercept incoming text messages and automatically reply with a canned response.” Users can compose messages that go out automatically when they get a text — sort of like an IM away message.

“With the service, Android owners can create their own responses and save them to a library for future use. The service works with all incoming texts, or can be limited to senders listed in the user’s smartphone address book. Activating the service prior to driving is just one way to use the widget. Smartphone users also can use the service while in class, at the gym or in a movie,” writes State Farm in a press release. They also point out that 200,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers who are texting.

The app seems like a simple enough solution that we’re wondering why most phones don’t come with a similar system right out of the box. For now, only some Smartphone owners will get to use it. “The app is a free download from Android Market, but for the time being, it’s only available on Google-powered smartphones, with the possibility of iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Mobile versions on the horizon,” says Autoblog.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.