POLICE have supported life-saving new technology which could prevent deaths on North Yorkshire’s roads if introduced by a renowned international company.

Smartphone giant Apple has developed what experts believe could “lock out” a driver’s phone by sensing movement and position in the car.

It has emerged the California-based firm filed a patent application for the technology in 2008, but it is yet to appear in any of its products.

The patent was granted in April 2014 and would involve a “motion analyser”, which would stop the driver from using a phone when the car was detected to be moving above a certain speed.

The user would then have to show the phone was in a safe zone before they were able to use it again.

Apple has already developed CarPlay for their iPhones which reads road directions and text messages to prevent people from taking their eyes off the road while driving.

According to statistics released by North Yorkshire County Council’s 95 Alive road safety campaign group, 31 people were killed in road collisions in 2015 and there were 40 fatalities the year before.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said they would welcome any technology which reduces deaths and injuries on the roads.

She said: “Driving while using a mobile is illegal, very dangerous and puts lives at risk.

“A split second’s lack of concentration could mean the difference between life and death. People should obey the law, irrespective of what technology may or may not be available to restrict them, the law is there for a reason. Not being in possession of the full facts relating to this technology, we are unable to comment specifically about this. However, anything that is proven to safely reduce the instances of death and injury on our roads is welcome.”

The technology works by analysing whether the phone is in motion and looking at photos and video inside the phone to assess whether it is being used at the wheel.