EnTech: Man gets $120 ticket for changing music with his Apple Watch while driving

Man gets $120 ticket for changing music with his Apple Watch while driving

A driver in Quebec, Canada claims he was fined $120 and given four points on his driving record for changing music on his Apple Watch while driving. While the driver disputes that this is not against the law (at least in Canada), many regions of the United States are not so keen on Apple Watch usage while driving. For example, the following definitions of devices that cannot be used on the road in New York clearly match the Apple Watch: “broadband personal communication device”, “two-way messaging device”, “portable computing device”, “or any other electronic device when used to input, write, send, receive, or read text for present or future communication.” Because the Apple Watch falls under those definitions, usage of the device is likely subject to the same fines as using a cell phone in applicable regions. Unfortunately, a study from March indicated that using a smartwatch behind the wheel can be even more distracting than a smartphone.


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Smartwatches like the Apple Watch are worse for driver distraction than smartphones, shows UK safety tests

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1. thegamingart says: Should they remove the entire dashboard if they believe any disruptions will cause issues?
   
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   • prolango says: Taking your eyes off the road, for any reason, represents a risk to you and other drivers. Look up all the YouTube videos and this comment won’t sound as humours. ;-)
     
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     • srgmac says: I agree with you but I don’t believe in these laws. It only makes sense â€" someone with their eyes on the road 24/7, not listening to music or doing anything else only looking at the road, obviously has a better idea of what’s going on compared to someone who’s looking at their GPS telling them what road to take next. Accidents and deaths / serious injuries are not funny at all in any circumstance…that shit is no joke…I understand why the laws exist…it’s like a lot of things…assholes who did nothing but talk or text on their phones 24/7 while driving and killed people in the process ruined it for the rest of us, who occasionally checked messages in a traffic jam or at a stop light â€" yes, I do that once in awhile, I’ll admit it.
       I don’t know what the solution is to stop or decrease accidents, but I do know you can’t legislate common sense, and I also know that sometimes people think they have the ability to multitask and concentrate on the road but are surprised that really they can’t in the end…so I’m not going to argue that you can look at your phone / watch *and* concentrate on the road, and drive just as good as someone who isn’t doing that.
       
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     • Brandon Burkett says: So you’ve never changed the radio station, flipped your visor down, turned on or off the heat or cold, adjusted the temperature, rolled down your window, took a drink from a water cup located in your center console, changed a CD, checked your odometer or speedometer, looked in your review mirror, or made eye contact with one of your passengers without every taking your eyes off the road?
       If you have, then by golly you are a God among men. For all us other “lesser” beings, we all have done these things at some point and the overwhelming majority of us manage pretty well. The OP “thegamingart” wasn’t attempting to diminish the real danger taking your eyes off the road can and does represent to oneself and others. But he did clearly point out how overly broad the law was in its definition, clearly suggesting that anything in your car that was electronic or distractive was illegal or should be.
       Personal responsibility and common sense have not and will not be something you can legislate. Don’t preach to others simply because you fail to grasp sarcasm.
       
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     • freediverx says: So how long before someone does a study indicating that listening to the radio increases your chances of an accident? Or how about distractions from other people riding in the car, especially children?
       
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2. srgmac says: What *isn’t* distracting when driving except driving and doing nothing else â€" no radio, no talking, no listening to audiobooks, no navigation â€" etc â€" even eyes free Siri is distracting â€" changing the radio station is distracting…none of those are illegal…You can’t legislate common sense.
   
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   • TechSHIZZLE.com says: I hope one doesn’t sneeze, blink, cough, or yawn resulting in distracted driving. Maybe there should be a law that makes it a crime to drive when under the influence of a cold, flu, bright sunlight, or airborne pepper.
     
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   • Michael Sullivan (@GeniusUnleashed) says: I read that when radio was introduced to cars way back when, accidents decreased because less people were falling asleep at the wheel. I think radio while…taking selfies…using a dashcam for a funny video…etc…is definitely dangerous.
     
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3. Built Frenchié says: He deserve the ticket in two counts. 1.) for laziness: what is wrong using the car radio. 2.) using smartwatch devices smart phones while drives, kill lives, so I don’t feel sorry that he got the ticket.
   
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   • rogifan says: I could just as easily get into an accident fiddling with the car stereo. A friend of mine got into an accident taking her eye off the road for one second to check her makeup in the visor mirror. Should we ban car stereos and mirrors?
     
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     • shareef777 says: You’re absolutely right, but car radios are designed to minimize distractions while a phone is the complete opposite.
       
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     • Built Frenchié says: You going to tell is ok to use an watch while driving a moving vehicle? What is wrong in being a safe driver?
       
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     • Smigit says: 1) That’s probably a large factor in why voice or wheel controls are continuing to grow in presence.
       2) No, they should fine and deduct points from twit drivers that are dealing with their makeup while driving.
       
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     • thethirstsecretattack says: The only accident i’ve been in was due to faulty hardware aka android phone. Google maps kept crashing. Switched to iphone. Haven’t had a problem since.
       
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   • TechSHIZZLE.com says: 1. He has better taste in music than what he would hear on the crappy radio;
     2. a) Smartwatch devices- if you have a link to an article where a smartwatch caused a death, I’d love to see it.
     b) Smartphones- yes distracted driving while texting has caused many deaths. However, the National Institutes of Health hasn’t found a correlation between cellphone use and traffic deaths. Not that there isn’t one, just that it hasn’t empirically been proven. Here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4001674/
     
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     • Built Frenchié says: You going to tell me that using a smartphone have not cause any deaths???!!! How is a smartwatch any different. He should focus on the road! Leave the watch alone. I am an apple fan and I also have the watch. I know when not to use the watch and focus on driving. Radio? Majority of cars uses Bluetooth, so no excuse.
       
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4. srgmac says: I wonder how it’s legal to have those Apple Pay / contactless pay systems in drive thru’s in NY â€" using your watch to pay while getting starbucks = fine, points on your license, and insurance rate increase.
   
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   • shareef777 says: You’re parked/stopped. World of difference. If you can’t see that, then you shouldn’t be driving.
     
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     • srgmac says: You’re not parked at all â€" you’re just as “parked” as you are during a traffic jam or at a stop light â€" and in both of those situations, you can be ticketed for using your phone or smartwatch. The way the law is written in a lot of states, it doesn’t matter that the vehicle is not moving â€" the only thing that matters is if the engine is started…so in those states, it should be illegal to use your phone or watch to pay for something at a drive thu.
       
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   • greginprague says: At the Starbucks drive thru you’re not on a city street and traffic laws don’t apply. It’s the same when you’re in your driveway at home. Similarly, you can’t get a ticket for ignoring the stop signs in the strip mall parking lot (though you might be found at fault if you cause an accident).
     
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5. shareef777 says: Expected. As a driver, the only electronics you’re allowed to interact with while driving is installed in the dashboard. Those components go thru rigorous testing and limitations to ensure that they minimize the distractions (obviously no guarantees, but it’s a heck of a lot better then what you’d get from a phone/watch). You can’t expect laws to govern items that can be removed from the car, so they shouldn’t be used while inside a car and driving.
   
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6. Tommy Thiffault (@tomthif4) says: interesting… I also live in Québec so I think I’ll stop using my pebble
   
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7. surfingarbo says: I’ve (wrongly) tried to use my watch whilst driving. It’s not safe and I won’t be doing it again. Yes, it’s easy to use voice, but functions where you have to use a second hand to change a song or hit send for a text message is dangerous for driving.
   
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8. Built Frenchié says: I find it very interesting how some people think is okay to use a watch while driving. When you get your ticket and get hit with 4 points, remember this post.
   
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9. Built Frenchié says: using a mobile devices while driving kills. tell these these victims it don’t!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m58hGFUbICE
   
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10. thethirstsecretattack says: Wish my $468 5 over the speed limit citation would stay in vegas.
    
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11. bpbatch says: Again, Seth Weintraub, another article that 9to5Mac has no INTEGRITY after publishing.
    “According to a Twitter post I received this evening, an anonymous Canadian man claims a police officer charged him with a felony for owning, operating, and utilizing an Apple Watch. The officer then confiscated his Le Car and summoned the man to a lifelong sentence to Greenland.”
    Me: I think an article like this is journalistic malpractice.
    Seth (or whomever blocked out his handle): Waaaah? I sourced the Twitter feed I received this afternoon! It’s legit!
    Fanbois: APPLE DOES NO WRONG! THIS WAS A GREAT POST! SSSHHH!! MY MOM IS COMING!
    Real World: Yeah, kinda dumb. Let’s retract this article and change the byline to, “9to5 Staff.”
    
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12. Nick Parmar (@TemporalArc) says: Bah…he can afford it.
    
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13. The Amazing Iceman (@amazingiceman) says: The problem with a device with a small display like a watch is that it requires more focus from the user to be able to read it. A phone has a larger screen that’s easy to read; a car stereo has a display large enough to be quickly read.
    To be able to change a song with your watch you would need to take one hand off the wheel and also accommodate your other hand at an angle that would allow you to interact with the display.
    Think about it: how firmly are you holding the steering wheel now?
    
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14. cjt3007 says: As far as I’m aware it is not illegal to use a phone that is mounted on the dash for navigation or that is operated via voice command (as people are claiming any phone use is illegal). He should have just used siri… a device on your wrist is not the same as one in your hand as both hands can be on the wheel and he could just say hey siri next song, or play artists/song such and such.
    
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15. gshenaut says: This (drivers trying to interact with their smart watch) has been one of my main worries about the Apple Watch. I’ve even pondered various technical solutions, such as the watch automatically going into a non- or less interactive mode if the GPS detects movement at more than a jogging pace, until a password is entered (this would also be good for the iPhone itself).
    
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16. snoman4096 says: How about you don’t write this article? Do you want to have to remove your watch whenever you get in the car? That would piss me off. Don’t draw attention to one dumbass that must’ve been very conspicuous in his song changing via apple watch, and one hardass cop that thinks it’s a novel idea to fine someone for glancing at their watch while driving. Just don’t propagate this stupidity by writing about it, K?
    
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17. rwanderman says: Well, there goes my idea of using an Apple Watch as a speakerphone while driving (I live in CT where cell phone use while driving is illegal).
    Interesting that one can still legally buy and install a bluetooth speaker that connects with one’s phone and one still needs to push a button on it to make it work. Many put them on their sun visors and that surely gets one’s eyes off the road…
    I don’t think what’s happened in Canada is bad, probably right, but it foils one of the reasons I was considering an Apple Watch.
    As I get older, even animated conversation happening between passengers while I’m driving through a city is bothersome so no doubt talking to an Apple Watch would be too.
    Maybe I’ll have to buy a Google (driverless) car to use an Apple Watch to talk on the phone.
    
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