Californian start-up Smack Attack has created a gadget designed to alleviate the boredom when you’re stuck in a traffic jam. Its Reinventing The Wheel (RITW) device clips around your steering wheel and adds an eight-pad drum machine to your in-car features.

We’re not sure of its legality in the UK, but the RITW is soon to go up for Kickstarter funding – with Smack Attack founder Gregor “G-Man” Hanuschak previewing the page in advance of its public unveiling on 20 April.

It works by syncing via Bluetooth to an iPhone. A dedicated application will handle the drum sounds – which can be changed through Smack Attack’s own online library, both self- and community-generated – and the end result will be played through the car’s FM radio, thank’s to a wireless adapter.

This way you can tap along to music playing through iTunes, or concoct your own elaborate solos.

Smack Attack will also offer drum karaoke packs, with tracks available to play along to as they’ve had their drum accompaniment removed.

The Smack Attack RITW will cost $149.99 on its consumer release. The Kickstarter project will allow you to jump in early doors for $99. The device is expected to ship by December.