10 reasons to not phone when driving.

There are a lot more than 10 reasons why not to use a mobile phone when driving, however i'll keep it short and snappy. After all i'm sure you will all agree with most of what i'm about to say, and if you only take just one point away with you. Think about it, think about why your thinking about it. Then do something about it.

Reason number One: Points on your licence.

Quite a shallow reason to start with but a valid one non the less. Nobody wants points because it ultimately results in a ban. You get points because its considered dangerous driving. Think About it.

Reason number Two: Penalty Fine.

Again a fairly shallow reason, however who enjoys getting a fine? I don't know anybody. The fine can be especially difficult to swallow as many handsfree kits cost half the amount of the fine given. It doesn't take a genius to realise what people should be doing.

Reason number Three: Suspended Licence.

You don't have to do it all the time, Its only takes one second for it to happen. If a police officer spots you it and you already have points could mean the end of your driving licence for 12 months. What does that mean for you? No transport, social life or job? Think, is it worth it?

Reason number Four: Reduced awareness.

If you text when driving its the equivalent of being three times over the alcohol limit. We don't tolerate drink drivers so why texters?

Reason number Five: Reduced ability.

If you don't have a bluetooth car kit you have to physically hold the phone to talk. If you do this you break contact with the vehicles controls reducing the ability to drive it. Even an idiot can see the potential consequences of these actions. If you are an idiot and can't work it out, Its DEATH.

Reason number Six: Concentration.

Its easy to loose concentration when talking or texting, especially if its something your passionate about. Combine it with point 4 & 5 and you have a recipe for disaster.

Reason number Seven: Prison sentence.

If your convicted of dangerous driving you could get jail time, especially if you cause a major accident. Just think 12 months in jail for one text or call that could be sent in 10 minutes time?

Reason number Eight: Your Family.

Its strange that most of us don't think about what were doing when we drive & how dangerous it actually is. I mean, we drive a 3 tonne lump of metal around at 70mph and higher relatively close to somebody in front and behind, and people coming in the opposite direction. Do you really need an excuse to not drive responsibly? Just think of your family before the inevitable happens.

Reason number Nine: Somebody else's family.

If your serial texter who doesn't use a bluetooth car kit when doing so. Think the next time you do it, it might be your last. Or the family driving towards you. Could you live with that on your conscience? I doubt it.

Reason number Ten: Time.

I seriously doubt that a text or call is so important that you have to answer it immediately. I mean, what is that important? With the possible exception of your wife going into labour i'm fresh out of ideas. You have all the time in the world to call or text back later.

There you go, ten reasons not to use your phone when driving. The other exception to all the above points is to use a bluetooth car kit. Fair enough it wont guarantee all the above will not happen, but if at least you do choose to phone and drive you will be much safer doing so with bluetooth car kits.

Parrot Bluetooth Car Kits - Still Leading the Game

With all the Bluetooth car kits on the market today, the Parrot Bluetooth kits are some of the most versatile. The Minikit Slim is a discreet model that clips to your visor, which, when paired with your mobile phone, automatically synchronizes its phonebook with the list of contacts in your mobile phone. This kit is for anyone who wants all the perks of having a Bluetooth car kit, but doesn’t like the large dashboard display of some of the other kits, such as the Bury.

The Parrot PMK 5800 gives you all the benefits of a wired or wireless Bluetooth car kit, without the inconvenient (and sometimes costly) process of installation. This model plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter power supply, and once paired, the device automatically connects to your mobile phone whenever you get in the car, without your phone ever leaving your pocket or purse.

The Parrot MK 6100 is a Bluetooth kit specifically designed for mobile phone users who use their phones to play music. This kit is capable of playing the MP3 files stored on your phone through your car’s stereo. The device is also capable of voice dialing.

Even if you have a moped or motorcycle, there is a Parrot for you. The SK4000 comes with a helmet-mounted earpiece and microphone, allowing users to use their mobile phones while riding. With all of the various models of Parrot Bluetooth kits available, it is quite possibly one of the most versatile and customizable line of Bluetooth kits on the market.

Bluetooth Car Kits: Who’s listening to my calls?

Many people have had the experience of talking on a cordless or cell phone, and hearing snippets of another person’s conversation, a police radio, etcetera. Therefore, the concern over having someone eavesdrop on your conversation, or even steal data from your mobile phone, because you are using a Bluetooth device, is a legitimate one. However, these kits are designed so that doing so is extremely difficult for hackers.

Bluetooth kits utilize a common frequency for signal; the same frequency used by many mobile phones, cordless phones. However, even though it would seem as though Bluetooth devices would cause, or receive, a lot of interference because of this, the manner in which two Bluetooth devices are paired (or set up to discover and recognize each other) results in no interference. Bluetooth devices must be connected to one another, and once they are they establish a closed network of signal, which is very difficult to hack.

It is possible to take extra steps to protect yourself; if you set your phone and kit so that they are not “discoverable” by other Bluetooth Adapters, it is much more difficult for anyone who might want to steal your information to do so. Also, because Bluetooth devices operate on an extremely low-powered signal, which only has a diameter of about 30 feet, the likelihood that there is someone within 30 feet of you who is trying to steal the use of your phone is very low. So, despite the concerns of the ease of hacking wireless devices, the manufacturers of Bluetooth devices have safeguarded the technology against most opportunities to do so.

Bluetooth Kits: Are they really the safer alternative?

Many studies have been completed, in an attempt to ascertain the safety of using a Mobile phone while driving. The outcome of most, if not all, of these investigations has proven that Mobile phone use is a significant contributor to the likelihood of being involved in a collision. For many, Bluetooth kits are the answer to that problem; the kits allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel, and their eyes on the road, while having a conversation. But just how safe are these kits?

Bluetooth car kits allow drivers to keep their hands and eyes focused on the task of driving while using their cell phone. However, the fact remains that while a driver’s senses may be focused on the road, a driver’s mind will most likely be focused on the phone conversation. Then by extension the driver is not fully concentrating. Therefore, while many Counties and towns are prohibiting the use of Mobile phones while driving, some are also considering banning the use of Bluetooth kits.

How much of a distraction is a Bluetooth kit, really? For those who need to use their phones while on the road for business purposes, a Bluetooth kit is a necessity, not a superfluous distraction. As many if not all drivers know distractions can come in many forms. Anyone who has driven with the radio on, or with passengers – especially children – knows that there are other aspects of driving which can be just as distracting, if not more so, than a phone call. A perfect example of this is the Satellite navigation systems on the market today. Many of which are now more detailed than ever before, offering more detailed maps and accurate positioning (Even to the point of the angle of your vehicle on the road). Drivers often rely on these products to navigate around specific areas and motorways. In doing so, often the driver’s concentration is on the navigation unit and not the road. So, while the desire to eliminate any unnecessary distractions behind the wheel is a legitimate one, it is unrealistic to think that it is possible to rid drivers of ALL distractions. It is also unrealistic to think that those who use their Mobile phones for business purposes will be willing to give up the ability to talk and drive, equally as with the need to navigate around the counties or country, Despite the potential consequences. As such, a Bluetooth kit is clearly and not only a safer option but a necessary option rather than using a handset while driving.

The Bury Bluetooth technology is one of the most complex in Bluetooth in-car kits on the market today. The three main kits – the CV9040, the CC9050, and the CC9060 – feature touch-screens that allow the user to easily utilize the device’s various functions at a touch. The large display makes these kits easy to use on-the-go, and allows users to access various functions of their mobile phone – contacts, text messages, etcetera – without having to locate their handset, or take their eyes off the road to locate small buttons. Touch screens not your thing? That’s okay, the steering wheel-mounted remote controls for these models vary from a simple, 3-button version, to a full keypad, allowing you access to all of the kit’s functions, all while keeping both hands on the wheel. Various other functions of these models, such as text-to-speech software which allows the device to read text messages aloud in up to four languages, and the ability to automatically mute your car’s stereo when a call comes in, make these devices even more desirable for the savvy Bluetooth user.

While some may worry about positioning their Bluetooth device’s display, that’s not really an issue with these kits. The CV9040, for example, has the LCD screen built into a convenient and small flip-style device; the kit automatically rotates the display, so it can be positioned anywhere inside the car. With the other kits, the versatile and easy-to-use mounting bracket makes positioning the kit a breeze. It can be mounted on the car visor, the dashboard, windshield, et cetera.

Bluetooth Headset vs. Bluetooth Car Kit: A few things to Consider

Most people are aware of the advantages of having a Bluetooth headset – no more searching for the phone when it rings, you never miss a call, and using a Bluetooth while driving is far safer than using a handset. However, what are the differences between using a Bluetooth earpiece, and having an installed car kit? How would you decide which one to purchase?

The Bluetooth earpiece is inexpensive, and its functions are simple; for most earpieces, one button will dial the last number and answer calls, and then there are volume buttons. That’s it. Also, if you get out of the car for some reason – to pump gas, go into a store, etcetera – the earpiece goes with you, making it slightly more versatile than a car kit.

Bluetooth kits, on the other hand, have far more functionality. Many have voice-recognition software that allows you to dial a number or contact verbally; some will automatically mute your car radio when you have an incoming call; there are even models with touch-screens, or steering-wheel mounted remotes, which allow you to perform multiple functions without touching your mobile phone. Some models have text-to-speech functions that allow the driver to hear a received text message. You also don’t have to wear an earpiece.

Essentially, Bluetooth earpieces are a good choice, if you want simplicity, if money is an important factor, or if you want to be able to leave your car and continue using a hands-free device. However, Bluetooth kits are usually the better option, if what you’re looking for is functionality and style, along with convenience.

Do Parrot Bluetooth Kits Improve Driver Safety?

The Roads in the UK are very dangerous, more and more vehicles are released on to them every year, as well as the millions of older vehicles already motoring. More people are learning to drive and people are staying on the roads for longer durations, whether it is through profession, leisure or convenience.

The problem that we face now is a craze that started at the time of the mass production of mobile phones. People have become dependent on phones ever since they were made mobile, especially when an incoming call is made. Obviously when driving it’s much more dangerous to be involved in a manual phone call, not only endangering the life of the driver but the lives of other road users.

The Danger comes two fold, firstly the act of physically removing your hands from the steering wheel, reducing the ability to react to any situation that may occur in front. Although many people think they are capable driving with effectively one arm studies show that driving performance is reduced significantly

The Second and more important problem occurs with braking eye contact from the road while looking for the mobile phone. Obviously while you aren’t looking what’s happening in front when driving you can’t react to anything that may happen. Significantly reducing the time in which the driver has to react. This is in most cases the more dangerous factor.

Several organisations and charities studying the effects of phone driving also suggest that people becoming too “involved” in the conversation may cause an accident, however there will be many occasions that the driver may become involved in an aspect or activity other than driving that may cause an accident.

The solution to this problem is the use of a Bluetooth Car Kit, Parrot are the market leaders in the field however other products are available. Bluetooth car kits enable you to connect your mobile phone through the car audio system wirelessly so you can make and receive calls, text messages and now more modern kits allow music streaming, iPod connections and voice recognition.

Using a Bluetooth kit reduces the two most significant dangers while phone driving, the easy answer / hang up functions means you don’t have to remove your hands from the wheel, and your eyes can remain on the road while you use the phone.The invention of the Bluetooth kits definitely improves driver safety when using the phone, and parrot continues to lead the way!

A Bluetooth Car Kit is a device that provides a safe and convenient way to communicate whilst driving. Your Phone can connect to the Car Bluetooth and ensure you and other road users remain safe.

Are Bluetooth Car Kits - The Answer to Phone Driving?

There are obvious complications involved with manually answering or dialling out numbers while driving, all of which may cause the loss of control of the vehicle at any point. The logical solution to this problem is a Bluetooth car kit.

The Sales of Bluetooth and Handsfree Car Kits have certainly risen. This can be attributed to a variety of different reasons including a change in the law, the increase of mobile phone sales, the improvement in mobile phones & the improvement of Bluetooth kits. The increased Sales of the devices has lead to a growth in the market which in turn has allowed manufacturers to improve the next generation of kits making them more user friendly and safer to use.

The Devices on the market today are fully functional with minimum contact. The use of various voice commands operate the devices and allow you to navigate your way through menu systems to find contact’s, incoming text messages and voice mail. This allows the users to concentrate on driving instead of trying to find your phone if it’s ringing, or if you want to dial out.

Although bluetooth kits offer massive improvements driving with them rather than without them, Bluetooth car kits may not be a good solution for you. There is a counter argument that the devices can also cause accidents indirectly as some people lose concentration and become too involved in the conversation.

Its the drivers responsibility to remain in control of the vehicle at all times and if the use of Bluetooth kits restrict you from doing this they should not be used.

The Use of an ISO2CAR adapter when installing ISO harness products

A lot of aftermarket products are produced and designed to connect via a ISO harness, certainly the majority of Bluetooth car kits are provided with ISO connections as standard. These kits are designed by their manufacturers specifically because ISO is a standard connection used in a lot of older (and some more recent) vehicles. This system is used for several reasons, but mainly for reducing costs & to keep the products standard without too many SKU's (Stock Keeping Units) e.g. to remove the need for one kit for each type of vehicle or radio per manufacturer. You can see these will soon add up to a lot of different versions of the same products (SKU's).

ISO is a universal system that was used by a lot of vehicle manufacturers up to several years ago. The ISO connection is made up of a group of wires, which all have a standard and specific position within the harness. Each wire within the harness represents a specific connection to a device within the vehicle. For example the front right, back right, front left and back left speakers always hold the same position within the ISO harness no matter which vehicle it is located in. This allows the manufacturers of the products to produce a kit that operates in exactly the same way no matter what the device is connected too. By using ISO harness's you negate the need to piggy back and/or solder connections when fitting the product.

However more and more manufacturers are starting to use their own wiring systems within their vehicles, this creates a small problem when installing the kits as connections will have to be made manually if the harness is different. So connecting specific speaker wires to the correct equivalent within the harness (each case will be different for the majority of vehicles) there is an easy alternative to this problem, the ISO2CAR adapter.

ISO2CAR wiring harnesses are made specifically to avoid this problem. There are around 20 to 30 different types of harness' available covering the vast majority of vehicles. The ISO2CAR harness is a connection device that will connect into the products ISO harness, then into the vehicle harness making the installation much more simple and pain free. The vast majority of vehicles now use their own wiring systems so ISO2CAR adapters are more important when installing aftermarket devices into your vehicle.

ISO2CAR harnesses can be used when the vehicle doesn't have an amplified or upgraded audio system, if this is the case a Drive and Mute cable will be needed where available.

Why Use a Bluetooth Car Kit?

Over the past ten years Bluetooth car kits have become more and more popular and mainstream in society. This is mainly down to the fact that mobile phones are more common place and have a more prominent role within people’s lives, and the fact we are all travelling in our vehicles more as part of our daily routine. When you combine the two it easy to see why we feel the need to use our mobile phones while we are driving, especially if we are going to be driving for a period of time without stopping.

Our attitudes have changed in recent times and certainly in the past five to ten years, we now feel the need to be contactable 24/7, and often feel naked without our mobiles or some form of technology to hand. This is in-part due the internet boom in the late 90’s where information was made easily and readily available, and more recently trends such as facebook, twitter & myspace that allow us be “in contact” with all of our friends and family and have up to the minute news & info at the touch of a button. On the whole this new technology is a movement in the right direction however it has caused an “impatient” attitude with most people of the current generation, who tend to want everything instantly. This feel instant gratification can lead to misjudgements in decision making. Probably one of the major factors why more people are using their mobile phones while they drive, and certainly one of the major causes for road accidents on our roads today!

What are Bluetooth Car Kits and why are they Important?

The Bluetooth kit trend started roughly 10 years ago and takes advantage of the built in function of the majority of, if not all new mobile phones. Bluetooth Car Kits such as Parrot and Bury connect to your phone via the Bluetooth function. Once connected the kits act as the Phone and allow a user interface with the phone through the Bluetooth Kit. New Bluetooth car kits such as the Parrot MKi9200 and the Bury CC9060 allow the user to navigate through the mobile phone using its functions like; phonebook, text message, dial etc without having to touch the phone at all, just leave it in your pocket or handbag. The Wireless technology means you can just get in your car and go.

Bluetooth Car Kits are becoming ever more important in the modern world as they allow you to be contactable when you’re driving, many people who don’t use a bluetooth kit while driving may feel they are capable of answering the phone or reading a text message without it. However this is proven to cause accidents as a result of dangerous driving, which is why the police and politicians have cracked down on phone drivers. Issuing a mandatory £60 fine and a 3 Point penalty to anybody caught in the act.

The Aid of a Bluetooth car kit allows you communicate with anybody safely and legally without having to break contact with the steering wheel or eye contact with the road leaving you to concentrate on driving. Even though Bluetooth car kits provide a safer means to communicate and drive ultimately you are responsible for driving in a safe manner. The police can still prosecute for dangerous driving if you are using the phone while driving through the Bluetooth kit if you are driving erratically or dangerously.

Leading manufacturers in Bluetooth

Bluetooth Car Kits have become a very popular accessory within the vehicle world, and many leading brands predict a 3 billion pound market for bluetooth products across Europe in 2010. Parrot and Bury are the leaders in the aftermarket car kits, specifically to factory fitted car stereos and are already developing further kits on the back of the latest successful Parrot bluetooth MKI Range and Bury CC9060 units. The latest kits take advantage of the latest technology boom and utilise new and improved features such as advanced voice recognition software where virtually all menus are accessible via voice commands, and no training is required before hand. Just simply narrate the menu title and the function you would like to perform, e.g. dial… In Car Network, the phone dials the number associated with that contact. Other advanced functions include iPod integration, where tracks, videos & artwork are displayed across the screen, SD card & USB input allow additional sources of media and little features like text to voice so text messages can be read aloud, negating the need fumble around looking for and reading incoming texts.

The Bottom line is that these Kits are much safer to use than your mobile phone, if fact any Bluetooth car kit is. Even the basic ones which only provide simple functions allow you to concentrate on driving, reducing road accidents & deaths. Either Use a Bluetooth Car Kit or don’t use your phone at all.

Product Review - Contour Designs Surface Sound Compact

Product Review

The Contour Designs surface sounds compact bluetooth car kit

Contour Designs released the Surface sounds compact kit into the bluetooth market with the hope mastering the art of bluetooth integration, and to be fair they have done quite a good job.

Its slim body attaches to your vehicles sun visor using its large durable clip. It features a "wand" that flips down with an inbuilt mic, that also doubles as the devices power switch. Pulling down the wand turns the unit on. It then actively seeks out paired devices within its 10 metre range. Once a device is found, the kit automatically connects to it.

The kit comprises of 4 Buttons, Call, End Call, Volume Up, Volume Down. You will only ever need to touch one button to make, receive, end or refuse calls. Its simple, safe and effective, basically does what it says on the tin.

Contour built the kit with two things in mind, integrating ease of use with stylish looks and achieving a consistency that very few other kits have met. Combining these is a rare achievement that not many other manufacturers have achieved, but have contour managed to?

Bluetooth Car Kit Direct have thoroughly tested the surface sound bluetooth kit and can report the following;

Ease of use: 8/10

The buttons are in a convenient location and simple to use, pairing the kit was easy when we read the instructions (Being typical men we decided not to at first.) time taken to pair the mobile for the first time and start using around 2 minutes

Quality: 7/10

The speaker volume can turned up and down, we nearly always had very good audio sound quality. No audio feedback or echos was experienced during any calls made or received.

Visuals/ appearance: 7/10 (our opinion)

The Kit connects to the sun visor easily and is not instantly noticeable, the kits appearance blends well into all the vehicles we tried and we had good feedback from the public when questioned.

(avg score out of ten from 10 customers questioned = 6.5)

Conclusion

The slim design and stylish looks go hand in hand with the slightly above average price tag, you are paying for a good bluetooth kit with decent functions and very good looks and audio quality.

The Difference Between Universal and Integrated Bluetooth Handsfree Kits - Which are better?

There are a lot of different types of bluetooth handsfree kits available on the market, many different brands, styles and designs offering different functions. However each kit performs what is essentially the same task, offering Handsfree call functionality while driving. Although there are many types of kit they all fall into two categories, Universal Sun Visor Kits or Fully Integrated Kits.

Universal Sun Visor Kits also referred to as Plug and Play kits are a portable speaker and microphone combination packaged into one working unit. They hold a small but strong storage battery that allow for long standby life so you can attach the kit to your sun visor and leave it dormant until you need it. Many are provided with a car charger and more often than not a USB charger for connection to your computer for re-charging, firmware updates and bluetooth connectivity while at work (or play). Most recent universal bluetooth kits provide excellent sound reproduction due to a break through in DSP (digital sound processing) & Echo reduction software & Hardware. The microphone on universal bluetooth kits are more often than not built into the units, and pick up far less background noise than older models. Due to this your contact on the other end gets a loud and strong connection via your phone. There are many different styles, designs, shapes and sizes of sun visor kits ranging from large function rich kits like the Bury CV9040 to the Small and pretty kits like the Pama Alpha or the Parrot Minikit Slim.

As you would expect with all universal kits the features and functions vary tremendously. State of the art kits usually come from Bury and Parrot and the rest tend to follow behind. A lot of universal kits now have features like TTS (Text to speech) and voice to text technology that allows the dictation of text messages and more advanced kits can be controlled voice commands. The Bury CV9060 is a particular market leader in this field with menu system that can be fully navigated by speech, apart from several functions, such as to hang up while in conversation (obviously you don't want the conversation to end abruptly depending on whats said either end!)

The Majority of Universal kits purchased are to be used socially either for a group of people (family or friends) to share when out and about, or for individuals or couples who have more than one vehicle and want to change frequently. These device can be removed in seconds and charged while driving making them a great hansdfree solution that are cheap, reliable and totally portable.

Integrated Bluetooth Car Kits are fully hardwired into the vehicles speaker system, just about all Integrated kits are provided as standard with ISO connections, if your vehicle has an ISO wiring loom the bluetooth kits will fit straight into it making installation very easy. If not there are various wiring adaptors available that will convert your vehicle wiring to ISO, these are know as SOT leads and are available for just about every vehicle. As the Kit is hardwired into the vehicle, several problems are instantly eliminated. The kits retain charge via the power cable in the ISO harness so you never have to charge the bluetooth kit, there is also a Auto-Mute cable with the ISO that will kill any audio coming from the radio, cd, iPod etc automatically. So all you hear is the conversation.

Most integrated kits are provided with separate control units to answer, hang up or dial contacts. These can usually be connected anywhere in the vehicle that is both comfortable and convenient for the driver. New bluetooth kits such as the Parrot MKI range and the Bury CC9060 are provided the additional functions that improve compatibility & usability. For instance the MKI range are compatible with iPods so you have music integration via parrot kit. The iPods are fully controllable via the parrot control unit so functions like track browsing, song forwarding, Volume increase etc can all be performed at the touch of a button. The Bury CC9060 is provided with an excellent touch screen monitor and equipped with the very latest voice recognition software. This allows you to use your phone via the bury unit via voice commands. You don't even have to train the kit, just install and start.

The Integrated kits provide a much better all round performance. The quality of audio reproduction is far greater then the Universal kits. Integrated Kits also have many additional features over the universal kits. Making & answering calls is usually easier too so if your looking for a good all round performance Integrated is the way forward. However the universal kits are portable and can be easily transferred from vehicle to vehicle. The sound reproduction is still good however you may have to fight with the radio for volume control.

In summary, if you want an all singing & dancing bluetooth car kit you should go down the integrated route, however if you want some thing more simple and portable the universal kit is the one for you. However both are excellent options and are much better than manually talking on your mobile phone while driving.

Do Aftermarket Bluetooth Car Kits Benefit Us?

The aftermarket bluetooth car kit has been around for some time, but its over recent years that we have seen the largest improvements and developments in technology. The first kits invented were very much a one trick pony, in that the functionality and design of them was limited and some what basic. Obviously as technology has improved so have bluetooth kits, and now many bluetooth kits offer more than just bluetooth connectivity, for instance the parrot mki range offer iPod connectivity, bluetooth streaming and excellent voice recognition software surpassing previous voice to speech and recognition technology.

There's a lot hype around at the minute regarding bluetooth kits, especially after recent government laws prohibiting the use of hand held mobile phones while driving, but not too many people are sure what they do or how bluetooth car kits operate?

Parrot are given a lot of credit for introducing bluetooth car kits to the main stream, Parrot bluetooth kits are seen as the leaders in the field and for good reason. However all bluetooth car kits offer one function that is common through out, That is the transfer of the incoming or outgoing calls made on mobile phone via Bluetooth streaming to an independent speaker system. This allows the user to communicate handsfree away from the mobile handset and still have the ability to drive and talk simultaneously. Vitrually all mobile phones have Bluetooth built into the handset, bluetooth car kits use this protocol to transfer the incoming / outgoing call to either the speaker unit (in universal bluetooth handsfree kits) or to the processing unit in the fully integrated kits. The audio stream is then conveyed through the speaker and microphone rather than the phone its self.

So Why they are useful? Well this system simplifies the whole system, meaning it's much easier and safer to answer, talk and hang up the conversation while driving. Previously the driver had to route around to find the phone, pick it up, physically answer the phone and keep one hand off the steering wheel while in conversation, obviously this is made even more difficult when driving a manual gear shift vehicle. Bluetooth car kits allow you to do all of the above without taking your hands from the wheel.

The Bluetooth Kits allow you to concentrate on driving while you talk, you also have full use of your arms and hands while you drive so you can react as and when you need to. New research shows that you are 4 times more likely your be involved in an accident in an accident while using your mobile phone and have 50% slower reaction times. This is a major reason why more and more people are involved road accidents when using there mobile.

There are two main types of bluetooth kit, Fully integrated kits and Universal kits. Integrated kits are connected into the vehicle stereo system and speakers, this provides excellent incoming sound quality and echo reduction on all modern microphones ensures you receive no feedback. Universal bluetooth kits are usually a speaker and microphone built into one unit. This is usually connected to the sun visor or around the driver area. Although these don't have the same features they do provide a purpose and can be changed from vehicle to vehicle as and when you need.


All Bluetooth kits improve driver safety rather than using a hand held phone, its important to avoid accidents while driving you must concentrate on the road whether in conversation or not, but you must use a bluetooth car kit if you choose to talk and drive.