Anti-distracted driving systems and methods

1. An anti-distracted driving system, comprising:

a plurality of transceivers at different locations within a vehicle, each of said transceivers operable to:

receive one or more signals, each signal comprising an identifying value emitted from a corresponding mobile device in accordance with a wireless communication protocol; and

output one or more detection signals indicative of the strength of the one or more received signals;

a controller in communication with said transceivers to receive said detection signals, said controller operable to, for each identifying value:

calculate a corresponding distance of said corresponding mobile device for each of said detection signals and to determine a location of said corresponding mobile device within said vehicle based on said distances; and

in response to determining that said corresponding mobile device is less than a threshold distance from a driver's seat of said vehicle, send a signal from a transceiver to said corresponding mobile device according to said wireless communication protocol causing at least one function of said mobile device to be inhibited.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said disabling signal inhibits a media function of said mobile device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said disabling signal inhibits text input to said mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said disabling signal inhibits a short-message service (SMS) function of said mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said controller is configured to send said disabling signal only when said vehicle is travelling above a threshold speed.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to send said disabling signal only when a gear is selected in said vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1 , comprising four transceivers, each proximate a corner of aa cabin of said vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said transceivers comprise near-field communication (NFC) transceivers configured to send and receive signals to and from said mobile device according to a near-field communication protocol.

9. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing software applications;

a wireless communication radio, said wireless communication radio operable under control of said processor to receive an interrogation signal from at least one transceiver in a vehicle, said interrogation signal requesting a unique identifying value, and said radio further operable to emit a response signal comprising a unique identifying value, and to receive a disabling signal from a controller when the controller determines that said mobile device is less than a threshold distance from a driver's seat in said vehicle;

wherein said software applications include an application operable to cause said processor, in response to receiving the disabling signal from said controller, to inhibit a function of said mobile device.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9 , wherein said function is a software application.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 9 , wherein said function is a media application.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 9 , wherein said function is a text communication application.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 9 , wherein said function is a radio for communicating over a network.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 9 , wherein said wireless communication radio comprises a near-field communication (NFC) radio.

15. The anti-distracted driving system of claim 1 , wherein said controller is in communication with a sensor to receive a passenger signal indicative of the presence of an occupant in a passenger seat of said vehicle, and to reduce said threshold distance in response to said passenger signal.

16. The anti-distracted driving system of claim 1 , wherein each of said transceivers is operable to broadcast a request for a unique identifying value in accordance with a communication protocol.