Apple Watch user fined for checking device while driving
Judge says smartwatch as much a distraction as ‘a cellphone taped to someone’s wrist’
An Apple Watch user in Canada has been charged with distracted driving for looking at the device while waiting at traffic lights.
Victoria Ambrose, a student from Ontario’s University of Guelph, was spotted checking her smartwatch at a red light by a campus police officer in April, says the BBC.
The officer told a court that Ambrose was so focused on her watch that she failed to move her vehicle when the traffic lights turned green. She finally pulled forward when the officer “shone a side light from the police cruiser at her car”, the broadcaster reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ambrose said that she had been using the smartphone merely to check the time, which required her to double tap the device’s screen, says Canadian news site National Post. She also argued that because the watch was worn on her wrist, it was subject to an exemption in Ontario law which covers devices that are “securely mounted”.
However, judge Lloyd Phillipps rejected Ambrose’s argument and charged her under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act of 2009, which prohibits drivers from holding or using wireless devices while behind the wheel, the news site says. Ambrose was handed a CAD $400 (£230) fine.
“Checking one’s timepiece is normally done in a moment, even if it had to be touched to be activated,” said Phillipps.
He added: “While attached to the defendant’s wrist, it is no less a source of distraction than a cellphone taped to someone’s wrist.”
According to Apple news site 9to5Mac, the company is working on a Do Not Disturb feature that will stop notifications from appearing on the smartwatch while the wearer is driving.
There’s no word yet on when it will be available, but more details are expected to emerge during tonight’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in California.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens safer
The Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Apple kills its secret electric car project
Speed Read Many of the people from Project Titan are being reassigned to work on generative AI
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of virtual reality
Pros and cons The digital world is expanding, for better and for worse
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The Apple Vision Pro's dystopian debut
Why everyone's talking about Is "spatial computing" the next big thing?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why Apple's carbon-neutral claims may be misleading
Speed Read The company isn't disclosing all the information, a new report alleges
By Devika Rao Published
-
The advent of the AI iPhone: does new tech show promise or peril?
Talking Point Apple design guru Jony Ive and OpenAI founder Sam Altman believed to be in talks to create new device
By The Week Staff Published
-
China steals the spotlight at Apple's iPhone 15 launch
How will a directive from the Chinese government affect the tech giant?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why is a tiny change to the iPhone's charger such a big deal?
Today's Big Question A change to comply with EU regulations could have global ramifications
By Justin Klawans Published