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Apple Watch Distracting while driving?
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From my own experience having notifications on a watch while driving is at least as distracting as a phone. First, just because it is in your field of view doesn't mean your eyes are on the road. Your eyes can be in one place at a time. Studies show that our peripheral vision is not as good as we think. The proximity argument was debunked with Google Glass. Second, I often find myself reaching to read an email because of the notification on the watch. Usually, I miss some notifications, but the watch doesn't allow that, so I get everything. If I get an important one or a curious one, I want to pick the phone up more than before. I don't think my habits are unusual, and I think the watch will lead to more distracted driving. Use Siri. It's safer.
That's not how the Apple watch works. The screen only lights up when you raise the watch. It doesn't light up for notifications; just vibrates.
Well that depends on a number of things. If you're actually just glancing at it for the time or something, that's one thing. But if you bring it up to your face to read a text, then you are dramatically changing your focal point. When you look at the dash, or rearview, you're splitting focus, and still have wide periphery of the road. When you shorten it to just a few inches from your face it's pretty dangerous, and takes your eyes much longer to refocus on the road. And that screen is pretty small to read text from any distance.
Someone said that people wouldn't raise their arms to see the watch, but I don't think that's an option, depending on your settings. The watch is designed to activate by raising the arm and twisting the wrist. So there's that. And if if you activate the watch with your other hand without raising it, the focus problem is still an issue, since the text on the watch is so much smaller compared to the dash clock. It's like trying to read the reverse license plate on the car behind you in the rearview, it completely changes your focus, and your attention.
Where I think the problem will be is continued interaction with the watch once a notification is received.
That said, in all the years I wore a watch I don't think I ever once tried to tell the time from it while driving. I always used my dash clock for that.
I think it can be somewhat distracting:
As long as you're not moving your hand to your face to view whatever is on your watch, you're in the clear.
But if you wear your watch how it should be worn, the screen would not be facing you while you're driving. you'd need to twist your wrist so that the watch face is "faced" toward you; but when you do that, you're not gripping the steering wheel as firmly because of the awkward positions of your hands.
As long as you're not moving your hand to your face to view whatever is on your watch, you're in the clear.
But if you wear your watch how it should be worn, the screen would not be facing you while you're driving. you'd need to twist your wrist so that the watch face is "faced" toward you; but when you do that, you're not gripping the steering wheel as firmly because of the awkward positions of your hands.
Last thing we need to hear on the news is that someone was trying to use two hands to operate theirWATCH to send a drawing or a heartbeat to another person and kill someone else's heartbeat in the process with distracted driving.
Last i checked you can only use one hand to check your watch which is on your other hand which should be on the steering wheel. Lol
Sorry. I wasn't very clear.
What I meant was that because it is so easy to check the notification (just raise your arm) there will be an innate tendency to do it immediately before the window to check it closes.
Quite different from wriggling around in the driver's seat trying to fish your phone out of tight jeans (i.e., leave it 'till later)
Do you not have a car that supports Bluetooth calling. My phone never leaves my pocket becasue the phone is paired with the car. I answer the call by touching a button on the steering wheel and speak handsfree through the car system.
No. Most cars on the road do NOT have a bluetooth system (most newer ones do). I have an '09. Someday in the next few years when I get a new car, I'll get one with a bluetooth system.
I've got a 1999 Miata and I got a bluetooth cassette adapter for it (that I've yet to install). I didn't even know they made bluetooth cassette adapters. Although in a roadster, I'm not sure how effective it will be at making calls. I think the watch would be better.
Actually Bluetooth was available in cars prior 2004. Often an optional extra but it has been around a long time. My last three cars all had bluetooth calling.
Having a glance at something strapped to your wrist is a bit different to fumbling for your phone or trying to reply to a text.
And also those people who physically set fire to things they have in their mouth whilst driving.....
Would we all not agree?
I always see people texting, watching videos on their phone while driving. What could possibly be any more dangerous than that?
I agree with you. This and the possibility to make calls by simply lifting your wrist and using Siri could make driving more safe for many people.
But no doubt there will still be idiots who will try to use the watch two handed while driving and eventually cause an accident.
Last thing we need to hear on the news is that someone was trying to use two hands to operate their
I'm a cyclist and its a real worry to me and all my cycling friends including every pedestrian and other drivers. Years ago we would worry about drivers using drugs/alcohol and now we can add technology to the list.
A few months back I had my eyes focused at a driver using her phone as she was attempting to turn in front of me, I had a feeling she wouldn't stop (while her eyes were still locked on her phone, googling or using those un-social apps) cut a long story short..........she stopped 1 inch away from me and she was completely shocked and apologised many times. I said to her this time doesn't matter but next time probably will with someone being killed.
It is a worry.
In saying the above I can't wait to get my Apple Watch
Too early to tell if it'll be distracting when driving, but I'm guessing the taps will be safer than using your phone while driving. But there's a difference between knowing that you received notifications from the taps and interacting with notifications on the watch. I keep my iPhone on silent with vibration turned off (can't stand the buzzing) so knowing that I received a notification from the taps will be helpful. I don't use my phone while I'm driving and I don't plan on using the watch while I'm driving. I'm sure there will be people that'll interact with their notifications on the watch as soon as they receive one.
And if you're really worried about the screen turning on from your wrist movements, I believe there's a setting that allows you to decide if raising your wrist will turn the screen on or not.
And if you're really worried about the screen turning on from your wrist movements, I believe there's a setting that allows you to decide if raising your wrist will turn the screen on or not.
ALERT: Bridge out Ahead! Slow Down!
APPLE WATCH: I can't send that Alert - the person is driving too fast.
Doh!
The problem here isn't the driver looking at her phone - it's the people crossing the road. THEY are the issue. Outlaw that!
There's so much fail in that picture.
Actually pedestrians need to take some responsibility for their own safety, too. In suburban MD it's quite a persistent problem to have people just step off the curb and out into traffic without so much as bothering to look left or right first. Jaywalking is such a huge problem in some areas that they had to build special fencing around the median strips so people could not use them as islands from which to launch themselves into traffic. It's ridiculous because we have perfectly functional crosswalks that are not inconveniently located.
There are parents pushing strollers and having small children in tow who do this! As a parent myself I'm just unable to comprehend such willful stupidity, but it exists, so as a driver I make the activity on the road my priority. I am as careful a driver as you're going to find and even I have had to hit the brakes suddenly for some suicidally oblivious pedestrians. They will not even bother to notice and will go right on cutting into traffic where visibility is low and where pedestrian traffic isn't to be expected. It's really crazy because we also have some of the most arrogant self important drivers in the world around here. It's a bad combination.
Actually pedestrians need to take some responsibility for their own safety, too. In suburban MD it's quite a persistent problem to have people just step off the curb and out into traffic without so much as bothering to look left or right first. Jaywalking is such a huge problem in some areas that they had to build special fencing around the median strips so people could not use them as islands from which to launch themselves into traffic. It's ridiculous because we have perfectly functional crosswalks that are not inconveniently located.
There are parents pushing strollers and having small children in tow who do this! As a parent myself I'm just unable to comprehend such willful stupidity, but it exists, so as a driver I make the activity on the road my priority. I am as careful a driver as you're going to find and even I have had to hit the brakes suddenly for some suicidally oblivious pedestrians. They will not even bother to notice and will go right on cutting into traffic where visibility is low and where pedestrian traffic isn't to be expected. It's really crazy because we also have some of the most arrogant self important drivers in the world around here. It's a bad combination.
That watch-to-watch sketch / tap thing it does... Does that animate in realtime? Or does it wait for you to open the app? That is the only thing that might be different from the phone that I can think of. Otherwise it should be safer that a phone... The whole point of the watch is to optimize the information so a single glance can show you what you need to see without making you interact with it.
My understanding is that briefly looking away, even with a full change in focus (which the eye can do very fast incidentally) is not nearly as big of a safety issue as looking away and then mentally disengaging... So in your comment above, focusing on the watch briefly and seeing a message is probably not any less safe that turning on the windshield wipers. BUT looking at it and changing you concentration to actually read the message and recall its context, that is a terrible idea.
I wonder if Siri through the watch can read you messages like the iPhone can... If I "have" to text when driving I always do it entirely through Siri.