It's shaping up to be a shootout to manage and balance human behavior, convenience and public safety.

But will it be the smart handheld device or the intelligent car that crosses the finish line first?

The race to seamlessly synchronize car and driver, easing traffic congestion, enhancing safety while still allowing us to multitask is falling short even as cars adopt more high-tech devices.

For now, lawmakers are forcing motorists to choose between driving and texting.

One in four motorists admit to text-messaging behind the wheel, which is a leading cause of driver distraction and accidents.

We can't resist texting on the road; it's more popular than phoning, so the calls for intervention are growing.

In an ideal Buck Rogers world, we would be able to text and drive at the same time without worry. Using driver workload management software, an intelligent car would instantly recognize when we are using our personal digital assistant, and perhaps activate a magnetic field around the vehicle repelling us from danger or collision.

But even without that, the car is getting smarter by the day.

Sensors in intelligent cruise control systems can maintain various set distances between two vehicles. Advanced high-beam lights know to temporarily shut down when an oncoming car is within certain range.

But in reality, the industry is struggling to keep up with a blizzard of driver temptations. In the car, suppliers are now demonstrating voice-to-text capability using existing speech-recognition technology. It's designed to allow motorists to touch a button on the steering wheel, dictate a customized message in short time, and send with minimal driver distraction.

"You won't be able to write a book," says Tom Schalk, head of voice technology at Dallas-based ATX Group, a major telematics provider.

Early tests, Schalk says, show a striking decrease in driver distraction.

Samsung, Ford Motor Co., Microsoft, AT&T and others are readying similar systems for handheld and in-car use.

Existing in-vehicle communications systems dictate text messages aloud to drivers. And some, such as Ford's Sync, permit drivers to send texts, but only from a menu of scripted messages. Voice-to-text technology is expensive and will take time to perfect and years to migrate to more-affordable vehicle lines.

Down the road, the technology will be able to create a user pattern profile and adapt to a user's voice.

Richard Bishop, an expert on intelligent highways and cars, says we're on the verge of more advances in technology that will enhance safety.

"But we're still living in the Wild, Wild West when it comes to integrating the TomTom and smartphone," Bishop says. "How do you enforce a texting ban? Will insurance companies sue for phone records as part of accident investigations?"

In the future, your car will be aware and able to manage what you are doing on your handheld device.

In the meantime, we need to be aware of what we should be doing in the driver's seat -- eyes on the road, hands on the wheel.