Apple Representative Appears at Senate Hearing on Distracted Driving

MacRumors · Feb 6, 2014

Apple's director of Federal Government Affairs appeared at a daylong summit for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to discuss distracted driving. A number of other executives appeared at the session as well, including representatives from Google, Samsung, AT&T, Sprint, Toyota, General Motors, and more.

The summit, a multi-part roundtable discussion called "Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving", will look at what manufacturers, OS makers, carriers, and car companies can do to decrease distracted driving.

On Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV will host a daylong summit titled, "Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving". The meeting will explore how technology can be used to minimize distracted driving, which has become a major public safety concern in recent years. With the explosive growth of cellphones and smartphones, and the increasing levels of online connectivity available to people at all times, more drivers are tempted to stay connected in their cars.

In the final discussion, Senator Jay Rockefeller IV will issue "a public challenge" to all parties to "collaborate and build more robust technological solutions to distracted driving".

The Committee has posted video of the discussion on its website.

Article Link: Apple Representative Appears at Senate Hearing on Distracted Driving

The Doctor11 · Feb 6, 2014

Yay safer driving. Wonder what they will think of iOS in the car...

roadbloc · Feb 6, 2014

iOS in the car probably doesn't help one bit.

Parasprite · Feb 6, 2014

The Doctor11 said:
Yay safer driving. Wonder what they will think of iOS in the car...

roadbloc said:
iOS in the car probably doesn't help one bit.

Tongue-in-cheek aside, it is actually fairly beneficial for Apple to know more about what safety aspects people are worried about and the efficacy of alternative methods when using the technology (normal iOS vs. Siri controls, simplified music app with bigger fonts, etc.).

If people are going to do it anyways, you might as well work to make it as safe as possible.

Consultant · Feb 6, 2014

Siri works great handsfree in the car for me for 2+ years.

roadbloc said:
iOS in the car probably doesn't help one bit.

If you hate Apple and its products so much why are you here?

Galagor · Feb 6, 2014

iOS in the Car will hopefully make it less annoying to use an iPhone in the car. Siri has proven its usefulness in the car since I can ask for directions and control my music without even moving my eyes.

Now if only it would actually work every time instead of saying "I'm really sorry about this, but I can't take any requests right now" when I have full bars of LTE. Why does it need to connect to the Internet anyway to play my playlists?!?!

roadbloc · Feb 7, 2014

Consultant said:
If you hate Apple and its products so much why are you here?

Where did I say I hated Apple products?

2457282 · Feb 7, 2014

From what I understand the M chip in the iPhone can tell if you are driving, walking or stationary. Therefore it seems like it is possible for texting and other distractions to be turned off while driving. Obviously, I am speculating, but what if you had a setting called safe driver? It would essentially leave only Siri as an interface on while driving. That way you still have access to most features while eliminating the distracting features.

The technology is there, and apple is the company that can figure out how to make this al work perfectly.

Gasu E. · Feb 7, 2014

Consultant said:
If you hate Apple and its products so much why are you here?

If you feel everyone needs to agree on everything, why do you risk communicating with other people?

Septembersrain · Feb 7, 2014

My Android communicates well with my cars Bluetooth. Does what I need it to. I just want my iPhone to be able to do the same. I think auto manufacturers need to make their equipment compatible across all smartphone lines.

Curun · Feb 7, 2014

Septembersrain said:
My Android communicates well with my cars Bluetooth. Does what I need it to. I just want my iPhone to be able to do the same. I think auto manufacturers need to make their equipment compatible across all smartphone lines.

My iPhone communicates great with my Pioneer Bluetooth headunit. I've seen it work great in Kias, Nissans, and Subaru systems as well.

What do you have that doesn't work with your iPhone and Bluetooth?

Septembersrain · Feb 7, 2014

I've got a 13' Toyota Yaris. It does work but it never connects automatically and sometimes the connection fails.

dysamoria · Feb 7, 2014

Why not get rid of those ridiculous and DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTING animated light up billboards????

Oh we can't curtail ADVERTISING, right?

ptb42 · Feb 7, 2014

Cuban Missles said:
From what I understand the M chip in the iPhone can tell if you are driving, walking or stationary. Therefore it seems like it is possible for texting and other distractions to be turned off while driving.

If my wife is driving and I'm sitting in the passenger seat beside her, is my texting a distraction for her? How do you propose that the M chip will be able to tell the difference?

2457282 · Feb 7, 2014

ptb42 said:
If my wife is driving and I'm sitting in the passenger seat beside her, is my texting a distraction for her? How do you propose that the M chip will be able to tell the difference?

If you would have quoted me a bit further you would have noted that I suggested a switch (something in settings to turn on and off) to enable or disable the feature. Clearly, if you are a passenger in the car, or if you are riding a train or a bus, you would want this feature turned off.

Your next complaint I could anticipate is, "well then everyone will simply turn this off making the feature useless." And yes you would be correct. I can only speculate, as I did before, that to make this useful, it would default to "on" and turning it off would only be temporary and that the feature would somehow turn it self back on at some point.

Boy this is just vague enough that I think I can patten this idea

gnasher729 · Feb 8, 2014

ptb42 said:
If my wife is driving and I'm sitting in the passenger seat beside her, is my texting a distraction for her? How do you propose that the M chip will be able to tell the difference?

Simple: Point the camera at the face of the driver from a distance of more than one meter + some clever software that can recognise a person in a driver's seat. Assuming that you wouldn't be mad enough to point the camera at your wife and then hand the phone over to her.

thekev · Feb 8, 2014

dysamoria said:
Why not get rid of those ridiculous and DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTING animated light up billboards????

Oh we can't curtail ADVERTISING, right?

I would love to see an end to all billboards. I understand the desire to attract customers to exit at a certain spot, but it's ridiculous to set up legal distractions when drivers are supposed to be focused at all times.

carlgo · Feb 9, 2014

ptb42 said:
If my wife is driving and I'm sitting in the passenger seat beside her, is my texting a distraction for her? How do you propose that the M chip will be able to tell the difference?

Here is an idea: no texting in a car, period, while it is moving, by anyone. Yes, it would be sad not to be able to text as that is such an important thing to do in life, but with therapy one could get through this.

Might have to look up, engage with people, see the scenery or other dull things just like people with a life do.

Of course you could pull over and text occasionally so others don't think you aren't kool or whatever.

GM44 · Nov 1, 2015

Consultant said:
Siri works great handsfree in the car for me for 2+ years.

If you hate Apple and its products so much why are you here?

I'm there with you now. Seems like Apple has proactively created the feature needed for car safety with Siri. It's a matter of people using the feature and making it a habit.

Stella · Nov 1, 2015

In Canada, distracted driving kills more people than drunk. Putting more technology in the car for motorists to be distracted is disappointing - but more technology sells more cars.

Hands Free is proven to be still a distraction - but still better than holding something in your hand such as a phone, or manually changing music / radio etc. So I suppose thing are getting safer but not as much as people would think.

If you nee to answer a call or text... stop your car at the next convenient location and text / call back then.

gnasher729 · Nov 2, 2015

Cuban Missles said:
From what I understand the M chip in the iPhone can tell if you are driving, walking or stationary. Therefore it seems like it is possible for texting and other distractions to be turned off while driving. Obviously, I am speculating, but what if you had a setting called safe driver? It would essentially leave only Siri as an interface on while driving. That way you still have access to most features while eliminating the distracting features.

The technology is there, and apple is the company that can figure out how to make this al work perfectly.

The problem: You don't want to prevent car passengers to use an iPhone. So either you rely on a voluntary mode, which doesn't work, because the ones who are in need of control won't use such a voluntary mode. Or you need a technological solution that detects that the driver is trying to use a phone, and not a passenger. And imagine your car can determine where the phone is, then the worst idiots will hold their phones over the passenger seat while making a phone call, with desastrous consequences.

Macyourdayy · Nov 2, 2015

dysamoria said:
Why not get rid of those ridiculous and DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTING animated light up billboards????

Oh we can't curtail ADVERTISING, right?

Good point. They're blinding at night as well as distracting, seeing that eyes are automatically attracted to the brightest objects.

Macyourdayy · Nov 2, 2015

Septembersrain said:
I've got a 13' Toyota Yaris. It does work but it never connects automatically and sometimes the connection fails.

Too bad. The blueteeth thingy in my VW (2011) works a lot better than I expected from previous generally excruciating bluestuff experience. I haven't figured out to skip backwards or forwards through podcasts yet as the in car interface (no CarPlay) is almost as retarded as you would expect.

Apple Representative Appears at Senate Hearing on Distracted Driving

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