Researchers at the University of Utah have created a device that they see as hopefully saving the lives of some teenage drivers who like to chat or text unsafely on the cell phone. Called the Key2SafeDriving (K2SD) allows parents to disable their kids’ cellphones while they’re driving. The parents can allow certain numbers to be dialed, and of course 911 is still available, but the kicker is the other functions they hope to add into it.

When the key is extended from its housing, it is in driving mode and will block any calls or messages to or from a paired phone within the immediate vicinity. It uses either Bluetooth or RFID to communicate with the paired phone, shows a stop sign on the phone’s screen when active and has an auto-responder to reply to incoming text messages. Researchers hope to have the technology on the market within the next six months with an expected cost of less than $50 a key with an undisclosed monthly service fee.Check out their totally awesome video after the jump