Apple Watch user found guilty of distracted driving
Arguing than an Apple Watch is no safer "than a cellphone taped to someone's wrist," a Canadian judge determined a woman who looked at it while stopped at traffic light violated Ontario's distracted driving statute.
According to The National Post the woman, college student Victoria Ambrose, received the ticket when a University of Guelph police officer noticed her stopped at the light amid "the glow of an electronic device." The officer claimed she looked at it four times, causing her to not move immediately once the light turned green, the officer testified.
Ambrose argued in court that the province's Highway Traffic Act, which proscribes penalties for driving "while holding or using a handheld wireless communication device," doesn't apply in her case, but the Justice of the Peace rejected that argument, fining Ambrose $400.
"Despite the Apple Watch being smaller than a cellular phone, on the evidence, it is a communication device capable of receiving and transmitting electronic data," Justice Lloyd Phillipps said, according to the Post. "While attached to the defendant's wrist, it is no less a source of distraction than a cellphone taped to someone's wrist."
Another Canadian, Jeffrey Macesin, was ticketed in Quebec in 2015 for using an Apple Watch behind the wheel, CTV News reported at the time. He was fined $120 and given four "demerit points" on his license.
There does not appear to be any cases of Apple Watch users in the U.S. facing charges for distracted driving.
Apple has taken heat for inducing accidents because of the iPhone, but so far, none of the suits have gained any real traction. For example, in 2017, a California court threw out a lawsuit by the father of a man killed in an accident, who blamed Apple for not, at the time, offering a feature that blocked functionality while the user was driving.
According to The National Post the woman, college student Victoria Ambrose, received the ticket when a University of Guelph police officer noticed her stopped at the light amid "the glow of an electronic device." The officer claimed she looked at it four times, causing her to not move immediately once the light turned green, the officer testified.
Ambrose argued in court that the province's Highway Traffic Act, which proscribes penalties for driving "while holding or using a handheld wireless communication device," doesn't apply in her case, but the Justice of the Peace rejected that argument, fining Ambrose $400.
"Despite the Apple Watch being smaller than a cellular phone, on the evidence, it is a communication device capable of receiving and transmitting electronic data," Justice Lloyd Phillipps said, according to the Post. "While attached to the defendant's wrist, it is no less a source of distraction than a cellphone taped to someone's wrist."
Another Canadian, Jeffrey Macesin, was ticketed in Quebec in 2015 for using an Apple Watch behind the wheel, CTV News reported at the time. He was fined $120 and given four "demerit points" on his license.
There does not appear to be any cases of Apple Watch users in the U.S. facing charges for distracted driving.
Do Not Disturb
In an effort to combat distracted driving, Apple unveiled a new Do Not Disturb While Driving feature in 2017, as part of iOS 11. The feature reportedly reduced behind-the-wheel phone usage by 8 percent in its first year.Apple has taken heat for inducing accidents because of the iPhone, but so far, none of the suits have gained any real traction. For example, in 2017, a California court threw out a lawsuit by the father of a man killed in an accident, who blamed Apple for not, at the time, offering a feature that blocked functionality while the user was driving.
Comments
Personally, I see much worse driving habits than mobile phone use. I followed a car home from work last week, it was swerving left and right, never indicating, late breaking, mounted the grass a few times. I assumed she was drunk and I was seconds away from reporting it when I spotted what was up... she was eating a mcdonalds. Juggling a large cup in one hand, stuffing fries into her mouth with the other. I assume her knees were doing the steering and god knows what she was changing gears with!
I think the law's intention is pretty clear: Discourage drivers from becoming distracted from the task of safely and responsibly operating thousand pound+ vehicles by instead trying to monitor/use handheld electronic devices that at minimum results in reduced traffic flow and at worst failure to notice pedestrians, bikers, safety hazards, braking vehicles and traffic control devices like pedestrian crossings, red lights and stop signs.
Why should looking at a notification on a watch while operating a motor vehicle be considered any different than looking at a cellphone while doing the same? You're correct, it isn't. Just like with cellphone use on the highway, it can wait.
When the driver didn't begin moving when the light changed she gave the officer evidence of being distracted from her primary task by a hand-held electronic device
dedgecko said:
Are we getting tickets for interacting with the Nav / HUD / radio these days as well?
Some people in my city have. So far they haven't been Apple products so they don't make the news. Distracted driving is distracted driven, regardless of the activity causing it.
Good question. It is in most if not all states in the US. Otherwise you could just sit right through a traffic light cycle because the energy wasn't right or the spirit didn't move you. Or you were 'busy' posting to Instagram. Because you're not the only one on the road. But if so, that would have been an additional violation, so she caught a break.
The concern over distracted driving is legtitimate but the fixation on devices is stupid. Looking in the rear view mirror, or adjusting the air conditioning, or adjusting the radio, or having a conversation with a passenger, are all things which can distract in the exact same way as a device.
The real problem is that people use their devices irresponsibly.
i guess they really need the money.
What is the difference between being distracted by a hand held device and just being distracted, like maybe enjoying the view, or people watching?
It seems their current law (driving "while holding or using a handheld wireless communication device”) doesn’t count a watch nor an in-dash system.
This is simply a case where the law enforcement officer has been granted complete discretion whether to charge a driver with distracted driving based on his/her observations and judgement. End of story. The justice spewing pseudoscience and naive technobabble about taping a cellphone to a wrist is total BS and a pathetic attempt at obscuring the true nature of the law and its enforcement mechanisms. It has nothing at all to do with any technology or science or the Apple Watch. It's 100% a judgement call that's been granted to the law enforcement officer by the law in force. The assumption here is that the law enforcement officer is provided guidance ahead of time before being entrusted to make these calls to the best of their ability and without prejudice. I have no problem with this law at all. Just leave the technology BS out of it.
I don't know what percentage of distracted driving can be attributed to use of an electronic device but I suspect it's a high percentage.