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I saw far too many people driving while using their phones on the way to drop my kids at school this morning. Sometimes I wonder why there aren’t stricter laws about distracted driving, especially in school zones where there are small children crossing streets. In an Apple patent discovered this week it seems that Apple has figured out a way to create a text free zone in the driver’s seat, through communication with the car and by using data available to the phone to determine motion and location.
If a person is determined to be in the driver’s seat and also to be in motion, then the phone can turn off specific features. Should we expect this to be in the next version of iOS? Considering that Apple originally filed for the patent in 2008 and nothing has been implemented since then it might be a long shot. Car Play and Siri Eyes Free essentially make a this patent nearly irrelevant, but there are some potential cross over points.
Communication is only one use of the iPhone that causes distracted driving because people are checking Facebook, Instagram, and even playing games while driving. The patent from 2008 demonstrates how these apps could be locked down for a driver while driving. While I don’t believe Apple would ever force this on customers, it certainly would be nice to make the option available so that parents could limit the device usage of their kids while driving.
It is interesting to note that Apple has been exploring options for driving features for many years now and it shows their patience in waiting for the market to be ready and for the new features to mature, but I find it frustrating that distracted driving is not taken seriously by lawmakers and tech companies.
When my kids are finally old enough to drive I will definitely be locking their phones into phone mode so they wont be tempted to check their Facebook feed while driving down the road. Better yet, maybe I’ll get a tracker implanted into their arms. Of course I have never used my phone while driving and I am a completely safe driver. That’s what I’ll be telling my kids when they ask.
[via appleinsider.com]
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