At the Worldwide Developers Conference, recently, Apple announced a new feature that could help to save lives and keep people focused on the road. The Do Not Disturb While Driving mode enhances their do not disturb mode and brings it into the car. In 2015, federal statistics show that 391,000 individuals were injured by distracted driving and a further 3,477 suffered fatal injuries as a result of distracted driving. Turning off any distractions might help free you from the temptation to answer your phone or to check out incoming notifications. “Don’t Disturb While Driving” makes it easier to keep your eyes focused on the road rather than being distracted. Since looking away for just a couple of seconds could lead to a deadly car accident, lack of focus is never worth the risk. 

 

A multi-year research project has been developed in order to determine how individuals interact with their smartphones as well as other distractions on the road. The Do Not Disturb While Driving mode will come out this fall with iOS 11 and will prompt a person to turn it on the first time that the phone comes in the car. All incoming notifications are blocked until the person exits the vehicle.

 

In the event that you’re a passenger in a car and you want to continue using your phone, you can simply hit the power button to confirm that you are not driving. However, one potential downside of this new feature is that notifications from a favorite contact can still push through, thereby providing the potential for continued distraction.