Apple’s iPhone would stop you from texting and driving, says patent proposal
Apr 24, 2014, 7:38 AM | Updated: 11:53 am
A new poll found almost half of Northwest drivers admit to texting while driving. (AP)
(AP)
Apple is getting into the life saving business because too many drivers know the dangers of texting while driving, and choose to do it anyway.
Software designers have been trying to come up with a way to disable texting while a user is driving, but most designs ended up disabling passengers’ phones as well.
Now, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple has patented a “Driver handheld computing device lock-out” that locks out only the driver.
It would automatically detect the motion of the driver and analyze the surrounding scenery. The motion detector would use the phone’s onboard sensors to tell if the car is moving beyond a certain speed. The scenery analyzer would use the phone’s camera to determine if the phone is being held by the driver.
If a red flag goes up, a lock out mechanism would then automatically disable texting and other functions of the phone.
Passengers would remain free to text as they please.
And, in theory, thousands of lives would be saved.
