Transportation Studies Technology to Combat Distracted Driving

The Transportation Department is examining technology that could potentially block people from using cell phones while driving.

In a discussion Tuesday on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in response to the growing number of deaths and injuries related to distracted driving that "there's a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we're looking at that."

While cell phones jammers are banned, technology from companies such as Zoomsafer, tXtBlocker and iZup could be used to disable a phone when a vehicle exceeds a certain speed, according to the MSNBC report.

But Paul Atchley, a scientist at the University of Kansas told MSNBC that those programs often do not work and consumers can find loopholes.

Many states prohibit either talking on a cell phone or texting while driving. In 2008 nearly 20 percent of all crashes in the U.S. involved some type of distraction and nearly 6,000 people died from crashes involving a distracted driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.