Apple’s new “Watch”- good luck with that trademark - isn’t even out yet but it’s already causing some controversies. Starting with the Attorney General in the U.S., worried about health data privacy, and now the Institute of Advanced Motorists in the UK are also concerned about the impact of the new wearable.
The IAM warns that wearable technology may be the biggest driving distraction since mobile phones themselves, potentially leading to more accidents on the road. The UK Department for Transport agrees, and said that drivers using smartwatches or other wearables will suffer the same penalty as those caught using mobile phones.
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM explains:
An Apple Watch has the potential to be just as distracting as any other smartphone device. Indeed more so if you have to take your hand off the wheel and your eyes off the road to interact with it.
According to official UK figures, more than 54,000 accidents between 2010-2012 were caused by distracted drivers, so it’s obvious why new devices such as the Apple Watch or Google Glass are very worrying when used by drivers.
And while banning or penalizing the use of such devices may help a bit in the short term, it’s obvious that the real solution to this problem is widespread use of self-driving cars, a future we can hardly wait for.
Source: IBTimes | Image: Apple
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