Texting driver alert service

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a network device, an indication of a text message being sent from a sender using a mobile device;

receiving, by the network device, multiple telematics packets from a vehicle telematics unit, wherein each of the multiple telematics packets includes:

vehicle operating data from a vehicle, associated with a particular driver and for a particular time interval, and

a plurality of data samples for discrete time periods within a time interval for each of the telematics packets, and wherein each of the data samples includes a sample time and information from which a speed of travel can be determined;

identifying, by the network device, the sender as the particular driver based on information from the indication of the text message;

identifying, by the network device, a sending time of the text message based on the indication of the text message;

identifying, by the network device, a telematics packet, of the multiple telematics packets, for a time interval that corresponds to the sending time of the text message;

identifying, by the network device and based on the telematics packet and the indication of the text message, that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message; and

logging, by the network device, a texting-while-driving incident associated with the particular driver based on the identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by a different network device in a messaging network, the indication of the text message;

identifying, by the different network device, the sender as a registered participant of a texting alert service; and

forwarding, by the different network device and to the network device, the indication of the text message when the sender is a registered participant of the texting alert service.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

sending an alert message to a registered contact, associated with the particular driver, based on the identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing, in a telematics service network associated with the network device, the multiple telematics packets.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the sender as the particular driver includes:

matching a sender identifier included in the indication of the text message with a driver identifier included in the multiple telematics packets.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message includes:

inspecting a data sample, from the plurality of data samples, closest in time to the sending time of the text message; and

identifying, based on the information from which a speed of travel can be determined in the closest data sample, that the vehicle was moving at the time of the closest data sample.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message further includes:

identifying, one or more other data samples, from the plurality of data samples, near in time to the closest data sample; and

calculating movement of the vehicle based on the information from which a speed of travel can be determined in the closest data sample and the one or more other data samples.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the network device, an indication of another text message being sent from the sender using the mobile device; and

deciding not to inspect a data sample, from the plurality of data samples, closest in time to the sending time of the other text message when a data sample in the telematics packet has already been inspected.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a report, for the particular driver, including a record of the texting-while-driving incident.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the report is generated on a periodic basis, and wherein the report includes multiple texting-while-driving incidents.

11. A system, comprising:

a network device, in a telematics service network, configured to:

receive an indication of a text message being sent from a sender using a mobile device;

receive multiple telematics packets from a vehicle telematics unit, wherein each of the multiple telematics packets includes operating data from a vehicle, associated with a particular driver and for a particular time or time interval;

identify the sender as the particular driver based on information from the indication of the text message and the multiple telematics packets;

identify a sending time of the text message based on the indication of the text message;

identify a telematics packet, of the multiple telematics packets, for a time or time interval that corresponds to the sending time of the text message;

identify, within the telematics packet, associated with the particular driver, a particular sample of a group of samples that corresponds most closely to the sending time of the text message:,

determine, based on the particular sample, that the vehicle was moving at the sending time of the text message; and

log a texting-while-driving incident associated with the particular driver based on the identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:

another network device, in a message network, configured to:

receive the text message sent from the sender by the mobile device;

identify the sender as a registered participant of a texting alert service; and

forward, to the network device in the telematics service network, the indication of the text message when the sender is a registered participant of the texting alert service.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:

a vehicle telematics unit configured to:

identify the particular driver of the vehicle;

collect the operating data from the vehicle;

generate the multiple telematics packets to include the operating data for particular time intervals; and

associate the particular driver identifier with the multiple telematics packets.

14. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:

a database, in a message network, to identify the mobile device or a sender identifier as a registered participant of a texting alert service.

15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:

an alert device configured to send an alert message to a registered contact, associated with the particular driver, based on the network device identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processor, the computer-readable medium comprising one or more instructions to:

receive, from a network device in a message network, an indication of a text message being sent from a sender using a mobile device;

receive at least one telematics packet from a vehicle telematics unit, wherein each of the at least one telematics packet includes operating data from a vehicle, associated with a particular driver and for a particular time interval;

identify the sender as the particular driver based on information from the indication of the text message and the at least one telematics packet;

identify a sending time of the text message based on the indication of the text message;

identify a telematics packet, of the at least one telematics packet, for a time or time interval that corresponds to the sending time of the text message;

identify, based on the identified telematics packet and the indication of the text message, that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message; and

log a texting-while-driving incident associated with the particular driver based on the identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising one or more instructions to:

send an alert message to a registered contact, associated with the particular driver, based on the identifying that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising one or more instructions to:

generate a report, for the particular driver, including a record of the texting-while-driving incident.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the one or more instructions to identify that the vehicle was being operated during the sending time of the text message further comprise one or more instructions to:

identify, within the telematics packet, associated with the particular driver, a particular sample of a group of samples that corresponds most closely to the sending time of the text message; and

determine, based on the particular sample, that the vehicle was moving at the sending time of the text message.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein each of the multiple telematics packets include a plurality of data samples for discrete time periods within a time interval for the telematics packet, and wherein each of the data samples includes a sample time and information from which a speed of travel can be determined.