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PhoneGuard Welcomes National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Move to Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving


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NEW YORK--Dec. 16, 2011:  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommended, Dec. 13, 2011, to ban the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving in all 50 states. If adopted, the recommendation would outlaw nonemergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road, excluding hands-free devices and passengers. At any given moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held cellular devices, according to a study released last week by the National Transportation Safety Board. Last year alone, more than 3,000 driving fatalities involved distracted drivers. PhoneGuard, Inc., the leading provider of mobile applications software, welcomes the NHTSA's movement as it positions itself as the solution to this silent epidemic.

Available for BlackBerry and Android smart phones, the PhoneGuard application uses GPS tracking to disable the keyboard functionality of a phone once a vehicle reaches 10 miles per hour, empowering people to take responsibility for personal security and safe driving.

"We have developed a product that promotes responsible driving in hopes that PhoneGuard's application suite will play a larger role in decreasing the number of casualties resulting from distracted driving," said PhoneGuard's Chairman of the Board Keith St. Clair.

PhoneGuard's robust application suite includes "Personal Security" and "Text Responsibly" platforms, disabling texting, emailing and keyboard functions of a mobile phone while in a vehicle moving faster than 10 miles per hour. Application features available for PhoneGuard, PhoneGuard Family and Family Pro, as well as PhoneGuard Enterprise, include Panic Button, a pre-selected and programmed emergency call function that is activated by simply hitting one key, providing the person receiving the emergency call with a GPS location of the user; Text Block, which prevents the driver from texting while driving or using the phone's keyboard; Speed Control, which enables the phone's administrator to receive text message alerts showing the location and speed of the user's mobile phone; and GeoFencing, allowing the phone's administrator to select geographic boundaries and receive a text message if the phone strays outside of the boundaries. The development of the new Web Portal also gives users unique access to each of these features, as well as GPS locating.

For more information regarding PhoneGuard applications, visit www.PhoneGuard.com, PhoneGuard onFacebook or on Twitter at @Phone_Guard.

About National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TheNHTSA was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 to carry out safety programs previously administered by the National Highway Safety Bureau. Specifically, the agency directs the highway safety and consumer programs established by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, the Highway Safety Act of 1966, the 1972 Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, and succeeding amendments to these laws. Dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety, NHTSA works daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant costs, both human and financial. The agency strives to exceed the expectations of its customers through its core values of Integrity, Service, and Leadership. NHTSA.

About PhoneGuard, Inc.
PhoneGuard, Inc., a subsidiary of Options Media Group Holdings, Inc., is a leading provider of mobile applications software. The Company's flagship product, personal security and anti-texting while driving software application suite, is a next-generation software suite with the most robust set of features and functions available today. The software product, which is easily downloadable to mobile phones, allows for GPS tracking of the mobile device in order to calculate the rate of speed of travel. Above certain predetermined speeds, the software will lock the keyboard and prevent the user from emailing, surfing the web or texting. While PhoneGuard's Software is designed to prevent texting while driving, it also offers parents and employers the ability to monitor the driving habits of mobile phone users in order to prevent speeding. www.PhoneGuard.com.