San Diego, California Jan 13, 2024 (Issuewire.com) - In the world today there are more mobile phone subscribers than people. Though mobile phones have advanced communications, they are also the chief cause of distracted driving and walking accidents, and "phone addiction," that has engendered a global, public safety, and health crisis.

The Automobile Safety Foundation, leader in driving safety research and development since 1988, has international lifesaving research and IP at, carsafe.org, and is now presents this special, urgent, news report.

The NHTSA calls distracted driving a "deadly epidemic." Pedestrian accidents and fatalities have been rising sharply over the last several years.

Elon Musk quipped on a TV interview, "people. are addicted to AI...their smartphones." Many people are in a fog, staring at their smartphone screens, researching, or engaging in texting, while walking, or even driving, and in consequence, are walking off cliffs, falling into manholes, and causing car accidents etc. This "smartphone" news is such a shocker, it could almost serve as yarn for a Hollywood Sci-Fi movie starring an evil AI villain. The plot involves an AI machination...Hijack the human race, with a covert phone addiction weapon. First, the phone addiction is established. The human is conditioned to be habitually staring at their little mobile phone screen. As the habit increases, and then, while in motion, the unwary victim is entrapped in a phone screen viewing hypnotic stupor, to be traduced, and led down the road to doom!

The distracted driving and walking crisis pose an imminent, worldwide threat to the safety of children, families, employees, and everyone 24/7! Folks don't know it, but this may be WW III...man vs. machine, and for the wellbeing of man, the evil AI villain must be vanquished, and human safety restored.

At the turn of the century, ASF began researching, and addressing distracted driving. Once establishing the road concentration criteria, Eyes on the Road - Hands on the Wheel, this research became focused on other distractions prerogatives. What came first onto the radar was, "Enter your 16-digit ATM card number," bank public telecom, see, https://youtu.be/B4WkuG-2G0A .For, People on the go, soon discover, it doesn't take16 digits prompt request to cause an accident, as only one text request causes dangerous distraction that can sink the Titanic.

People can walk and talk, cook and talk, and drive and talk, but the eyesight is singular, and when in motion, one has to, "watch where you're going." Realizing the need to globally modernize business and government public telecom, ASF introduced. Safe Call, IP, carsafe.org/safe-call/. and has campaigned for many years to address the need of banks, business, and government to upgrade their telecom to twenty-first century voice technology. ASF achieved some success, as Capital One implemented the Safe Call upgrade in 2016, and US Bank and Schwab last year. Currently, there is quite a list of companies utilizing voice technology, some examples are, Amtrak, most major airlines, big insurance companies, and T-Mobile, but, despite the fact that the Safe Call lifesaving, remedial, is an inexpensive telecom program upgrade (if initiated by ASF, a fair research standard compensation) altogether, worldwide, these companies only comprise about ten to twenty percent of businesses with public telecom voice technology, and  due to the huge numbers needing the Safe Call upgrade, the challenge remains daunting,

It is also important to point out, it is not just is not just the private sector that needs to modernize their public telecom, but also the federal and state government public phone lines need the same, as it is rare to find any that use voice technologies. Here is one case and point: Over a year ago, ASF research discovered that the IRS main 800 number has voice technology but found that it is buried behind a text message request, "Press one for Spanish two for English." Research found that If a caller doesn't enter the prompt, then the AI comes back with the option to "enter or say" (should be "say or enter"). ASF alerted the IRS to avoid causing accidents, there is an urgent requirement, for the IRS to move the voice technology option to the forefront, at the start of their greeting. Here at the start of 2024, ASF still awaits this IRS telecom remedial. The FCC, with "communication" for their middle name, were alerted by ASF last year that they need to update their now hazardous, early 70's public telecom, capable of causing prompt request, distraction accidents, to Safe Call IP voice technology, while also passing FCC regulation for all governments and businesses to do the same. The OCC, that also has the dangerous and outdated public telecom, should not only update their telecom, but pass regulations for all banks to do the same. Safety first. The time has come, and is way overdue, for all US state and federal government departments, agencies, and businesses, worldwide, to update their public telecom to 21st century Safe Call voice technology standards, as well as aiding this goal of Safe Call voice technology for a worldwide standard. 

Along with mobile phone use presenting a safety crisis, phone addiction, is also a major world safety, and health issue, that is particularly deleterious to children in their formative years, watch https://youtu.be/giAO6d9vKYE.

"Necessity is the mother of invention". Realizing that vast majority of businesses in the United States, and worldwide, require the Safe Call voice technology upgrade, it became apparent that alternative innovation would be necessary, and with the advent of voice technologies that can eliminate a phone screen, and push prompts on a call, ASF introduced the new smarter and safer Safe Call-Earphone, that totally operates with voice technology, Safe Call-EarPhone - Phone Addiction Wake Up Call .. Since Safe-EarPhone contains a fraction of the parts in the regular smartphone, it can be manufactured for a fraction of the price. It is also an aid the blind and disabled, as well as being a compliment to the regular smartphone for children and those on the go. The Safe Call-Earphone has been introduced to the FCC for government distribution to low income, and the blind or disabled.

Since those involved in accidents may be hurt, panicked, or unable to make a text a number, Safe Call-Earphone with voice technology can come to the rescue, with the

verbal command, "Call 911!"  Though many smartphones, for example equipped with, "Siri" can enact a voice command to "call 911," but the public has not been educated about this feature, and this therefore requires 911 call, public awareness campaign by the 911 agencies, that also should back the production of the Safe Earphone, where.

the user automatically knows it can call any number, including 911.

ASF continues to encourage the US government including FCC, IRS, Department of Homeland Safety as well as, state governments and more recently ITU, GSMA to demonstrate their concerns for public safety by the simple and inexpensive modernization of government and business public telecom (800 etc.) to address the tis urgent public safety, health, and security concerns of the 21st century.

On the road we all co-pilot. Following Safe Call-Earphone patent pending, ASF is now filing the non-provisional patent, and seeks an IP broker for licensing the new invention. ASF welcomes the participation and contributions of all those that can help aid this urgent international public safety and health effort. Safety first! Please contact ASF at, info@carsafe.org.