New App Lets Drivers 'Hear' Text Messages

DENVER (CBS4) - In Colorado, as in many states, it's illegal to text and drive. And certainly it's dangerous to read e-mails and drive. Now there's a new application that could keep drivers connected with perhaps less distraction.

Many people expecting an important text or e-mail while driving can't resist reading it when it arrives. Now a company says drivers can get your e-mails and texts read aloud. The voice comes from a mobile application from "DriveSafe.ly." It reads messages to drivers so they can concentrate on driving. It's called the "App to Stop Distracted Driving."

Barry Baker gets 300 e-mails a day.

"It certainly breaks the urge to read the Blackberry when you should be focusing on the road," Baker said.

But a college professor who studies distracted driving says there are still concerns.

"If you are hearing something that's very engaging, cognitively speaking, then that's going to take you brain away from the driving task," he said. "I would wonder how strong that impulse is to respond to these texts."

The app tells the sender the person who received the call heard the message.

Experts say it is still far safer to put the phone completely away until reaching the destination.