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Apple Watch Distracting while driving?

E

Ensyed

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 23, 2014
109
57
Wondering if the taps on the wrist will be dristracting while driving? I am able to avoid checking texts while driving but a watch which taps my wrist might be harder to resist. Also it will light up with the movement of the steering wheel.
What do you think?
 
Ensyed said:
Wondering if the taps on the wrist will be dristracting while driving? I am able to avoid checking texts while driving but a watch which taps my wrist might be harder to resist. Also it will light up with the movement of the steering wheel.
What do you think?
Click to expand...

Why would it be any different to a phone vibrating in your pocket or on your lap.
If it worries you then take your watch off whilst driving.
 
You always have the option to turn off the feature that turns on the screen when you lift and rotate your wrist.

I just hope people won't get more distracted because their new watch has become more informative than their previous one. Last thing we need to hear on the news is that someone was trying to use two hands to operate their :apple:WATCH to send a drawing or a heartbeat to another person and kill someone else's heartbeat in the process with distracted driving.
 
People that look down at their phones or watches while driving deserve to drive into a river and die, but harm nobody but themselves.
 
It depends on the driver. I've driven a carload of 8 year olds attempting to brain each other with their lunch boxes while singing Disney Songs and kicking the back of my seat. If that sort of thing doesn't distract me from the road, a few taps on the wrist won't. :rolleyes:
 
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Call me crazy, but I think this will actually make driving safer.

Get info you need quickly at eye level (how is this any less distracting than looking at a GPS, Radio, or Road sign?)

No need to pull your phone out of wherever to answer a call.

Curated notifications, only the most important come through = less distraction.

I think it will be interesting to see how the motion sensor works practically, in regards to other types of movement.
 
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I think it all comes down to the type of driver you are.

  1. Do you ignore incoming notifications on your phone and stick to the use of hands-free devices, or
  2. Are you the person driving 70 mph on the interstate holding their phone up for all to see as they weave back and forth and cross lanes?

Getting an Apple Watch won't change who you are (careful or careless) fundamentally.
 
kovey said:
People that look down at their phones or watches while driving deserve to drive into a river and die, but harm nobody but themselves.
Click to expand...

Really? I can't look at my watch and see what time it is?

Is it ok to look at my dash to see what time it is? Or my speed limit? Or the radio? I guess GPS units are off limits too, eh?

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cwosigns said:
I think it all comes down to the type of driver you are.

  1. Do you ignore incoming notifications on your phone and stick to the use of hands-free devices, or
  2. Are you the person driving 70 mph on the interstate holding their phone up for all to see as they weave back and forth and cross lanes?

Getting an Apple Watch won't change who you are (careful or careless) fundamentally.
Click to expand...

Well said
 
joshcls said:
Call me crazy, but I think this will actually make driving safer.

Get info you need quickly at eye level (how is this any less distracting than looking at a GPS, Radio, or Road sign?)

No need to pull your phone out of wherever to answer a call.

Curated notifications, only the most important come through = less distraction.

I think it will be interesting to see how the motion sensor works practically, in regards to other types of movement.
Click to expand...


Comparing a huge road on the road that you're driving on to a 1" screen on your wrist...... wow.
 
It would be nice if it had an option to turn off notifications if you are traveling faster than say 10mph. Governments worldwide will be looking to ban the use of the watch when driving like they did with glass saying it's distracting, a "notifications off at speed" feature would placate the bureaucrats to some extent
 
Depends. I've seen Darwin awards for low-lifes that have their eyes glued to their crotch because they are driving on a highway and holding the phone in their lap. I see this often.

Others hold phone at the wheel.

I have a hands free widget that holds the phone where the CD player is. Allows me to scan quickly and easily at notifications or answer an incoming call using speaker/mic. Using this is literally the same as navigating the radio menu.

Watch makes you look more down and imo not as good, unless people hold arm up higher (which they won't).
 
Ekuk said:
It would be nice if it had an option to turn off notifications if you are traveling faster than say 10mph. Governments worldwide will be looking to ban the use of the watch when driving like they did with glass saying it's distracting, a "notifications off at speed" feature would placate the bureaucrats to some extent
Click to expand...

Maybe the government can figure out how to regulate my daughter's screaming in the back seat. Far more distracting than a tap on the wrist haha.

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Technodynamic said:
Depends. I've seen Darwin awards for low-lifes that have their eyes glued to their crotch because they are driving on a highway and holding the phone in their lap. I see this often.

Others hold phone at the wheel.

I have a hands free widget that holds the phone where the CD player is. Allows me to scan quickly and easily at notifications or answer an incoming call using speaker/mic. Using this is literally the same as navigating the radio menu.

Watch makes you look more down and imo not as good, unless people hold arm up higher (which they won't).
Click to expand...

Keeping your arms at 10&2 would put the wrist at dash level, right? Unless you drive with your wrists in your lap, and then tisk tisk. :D
 
Ensyed said:
Wondering if the taps on the wrist will be dristracting while driving? I am able to avoid checking texts while driving but a watch which taps my wrist might be harder to resist. Also it will light up with the movement of the steering wheel.
What do you think?
Click to expand...

Definitely LESS distracting.

Innumerable times I've left my phone in my pocket while driving, and it vibrates. When it KEEPS vibrating I know I have a phone call - so when I get a chance in the next few minutes, either at a light, or while driving when nobody is around, I try to get my phone out by lifting my butt up out of my seat to make my pocket parallel to my legs, then pull it out. This is dangerous. I do it only for phone calls, say I'm on an expressway and the next exit is 20 miles away. I do this, because when I get a call, half the time it's very important.....

Anyways, I do this to check WHO the message is from... if it's important, I'll pull over and take the call....

Well, with a watch I can easily glance WHO is calling, so all this messing around with taking the phone out is gone. And it's much safer.

Glancing at a watch is no more dangerous than glancing at the rear view mirror, fuel gauge, gas gauge, etc. Actually DOING something is a different matter.
 
bbeagle said:
Definitely LESS distracting.

Innumerable times I've left my phone in my pocket while driving, and it vibrates. When it KEEPS vibrating I know I have a phone call - so when I get a chance in the next few minutes, either at a light, or while driving when nobody is around, I try to get my phone out by lifting my butt up out of my seat to make my pocket parallel to my legs, then pull it out. This is dangerous. I do it only for phone calls, say I'm on an expressway and the next exit is 20 miles away. I do this, because when I get a call, half the time it's very important.....

Anyways, I do this to check WHO the message is from... if it's important, I'll pull over and take the call....

Well, with a watch I can easily glance WHO is calling, so all this messing around with taking the phone out is gone. And it's much safer.

Glancing at a watch is no more dangerous than glancing at the rear view mirror, fuel gauge, gas gauge, etc. Actually DOING something is a different matter.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but I really wish I hadn't heard you confess to that. For the love of God, get Bluetooth in your car, and put your phone in DND mode. Favourite contacts that will send through 'important calls'. Dear Lord. I'm in college and have only just started driving recently and would never ever consider doing something like this. I guess I'm lucky my car will read out texts to me, and I can answer calls via Bluetooth, but please. Never do that.
 
Well I use Bluetooth for answering calls from my steering wheel and ignore texts completely.
I haven't figured out how or get my car to read my texts out aloud. My phone usually just sits on the passenger seat. I have been trying to find a phone holder to use with Waze but it's difficult with a curved dash.
 
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What do people normally do when the iPhone vibrates? Take it out, fumble with it and look down trying to keep it out of a cop's view. The Watch is supposed to be any better because...?
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
What do people normally do when the iPhone vibrates? Take it out, fumble with it and look down trying to keep it out of a cop's view. The Watch is supposed to be any better because...?
Click to expand...

I might take a glance at the screen at a long stop light but usually I ignore it until I get to my destination. I lived the first 28 years of my life without a cell phone so I know that whoever is calling me will not die if I don't answer their call or get back to them in ten minutes or even 30.

I grew up in an era where we hunted down pay phones when we had to reach someone while on the go. Eventually we had pagers. The urge to be in constant immediate contact with everyone is therefore a luxury and convenience to me, not a dire necessity.

I've gone half my life without it just fine. Sometimes it meant we failed to pick up something at the store that someone wanted or failed to do something else at someone's beck and call. It was all right. We adjusted. Not worth crashing a car over...ever.
 
seble said:
I'm sorry but I really wish I hadn't heard you confess to that. For the love of God, get Bluetooth in your car, and put your phone in DND mode. Favourite contacts that will send through 'important calls'. Dear Lord. I'm in college and have only just started driving recently and would never ever consider doing something like this. I guess I'm lucky my car will read out texts to me, and I can answer calls via Bluetooth, but please. Never do that.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the unwarranted scolding. I DID say it was dangerous.... but...

My kid throwing up in the backseat, screaming, kids getting out of their carseats, or throwing things, all are MUCH MORE distracting and impossible to overcome in a car. You'll realize it someday. (And it has nothing to do with parenting - you'll take a bunch of 7 year old soccer players that aren't your own in a car someday)
 
bbeagle said:
Thanks for the unwarranted scolding. I DID say it was dangerous.... but...

My kid throwing up in the backseat, screaming, kids getting out of their carseats, or throwing things, all are MUCH MORE distracting and impossible to overcome in a car. You'll realize it someday. (And it has nothing to do with parenting - you'll take a bunch of 7 year old soccer players that aren't your own in a car someday)
Click to expand...

Right...with so many unavoidable distractions, why add an additional distraction that is completely avoidable?
 
bbeagle said:
Thanks for the unwarranted scolding. I DID say it was dangerous.... but...

My kid throwing up in the backseat, screaming, kids getting out of their carseats, or throwing things, all are MUCH MORE distracting and impossible to overcome in a car. You'll realize it someday. (And it has nothing to do with parenting - you'll take a bunch of 7 year old soccer players that aren't your own in a car someday)
Click to expand...

Not impossible to overcome. Pull the F over.
 
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bbeagle said:
Definitely LESS distracting.

Innumerable times I've left my phone in my pocket while driving, and it vibrates. When it KEEPS vibrating I know I have a phone call - so when I get a chance in the next few minutes, either at a light, or while driving when nobody is around, I try to get my phone out by lifting my butt up out of my seat to make my pocket parallel to my legs, then pull it out. This is dangerous. I do it only for phone calls, say I'm on an expressway and the next exit is 20 miles away. I do this, because when I get a call, half the time it's very important.....

Anyways, I do this to check WHO the message is from... if it's important, I'll pull over and take the call....

Well, with a watch I can easily glance WHO is calling, so all this messing around with taking the phone out is gone. And it's much safer.

Glancing at a watch is no more dangerous than glancing at the rear view mirror, fuel gauge, gas gauge, etc. Actually DOING something is a different matter.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure it's definitely less distracting since there will be an urge to look at it IMMEDIATELY before the screen goes blank.

OTOH, for a buzz in your pocket, you will chose a safer time to look at it.
 
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