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iphone hands free Safety Issue

C

corkscrew

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 7, 2007
9
0
Indio, CA
Please tell everyone you know to go to www.apple.com/feedback then select the iphone and then enhancements. Then let Apple know how you feel about their moral responsibility to provide "HANDS FREE VOICE DIALING" on the iphone BEFORE someone is seriously hurt trying to dial their phone while driving. This is a SAFETY ISSUE and Steve Jobs and Apple should be ashamed of themselves for leaving this feature off especially when they should know that the laws regarding using cell phones while driving in California will change this summer. They can't very well claim they don't know since Apple Headquarters is in Cupertino, California. I know that presently you can answer, talk and hangup using your headset but you cannot dial handsfree and if you have your headset on it is difficult to hear emergency sirens.

Remember that the squeaky door gets oiled first and that one thing Corporations do understand is SAFETY ISSUE and CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT.

I think if they wait until someone is seriously injured or killed due to the neglect by Apple to include HANDS FREE VOICE ACTIVATED DIALING, a feature that is already standard on many of the competition's cellphones (ie. Blackberry, Motorola and even Garmin and Magellan GPS units) they will have a hard time in court convincing a Judge or jury of their peers they were not responsible.
 
How is it hard to hear? Because you're using stereo wired headphones in both ears, which is illegal already? Why not use just one earbud? Then you can hear the caller and hear the surrounding environment fine. I know when I'm using my Apple BT headset I can hear sirens with no problem.

Besides, if you're dialing people in your car while driving, you're probably not using your cell phone safely in the first place. Just don't place outgoing calls. How hard is that? If people really need to talk to you, they'll call, and you can answer without having to look at the iPhone. :rolleyes:

Voice dialing would be nice, but it's certainly not necessary, and the lack of it is not the critical safety issue you seem to think it is.
 
Maybe its just me, but isn't it irresponsible to be focused on something other than driving while driving anyway?

Yes I agree, the iPhone would be an improved device with Voice Dialing and hands free dialing, but I agree with killmoms.
 
at&t also has a nice phone number (*8 I think) that does voice dialing. With bluetooth headsets, you can redial the last number by hitting the activate button twice. Then you just speak the name.

TEG
 
killmoms said:
Besides, if you're dialing people in your car while driving, you're probably not using your cell phone safely in the first place.
Click to expand...

InvalidBassist said:
Maybe its just me, but isn't it irresponsible to be focused on something other than driving while driving anyway?
Click to expand...
Makes sense to me.

Most folks should not be talking while driving. Instead they should be focused on driving safely.

To the OP, if it is legal to use a cell phone in hands free mode, then just use one earbud or a BT headset. That way one ear is open so that you can hear sounds around you such as emergency vehicles.
 
While I agree that it would certainly be a nice feature to have...
It is also the users responsibility to use the phone and/or drive in a safe manner. It is also the users responsibility to not break the law by not using a hands free device. If I choose to use my phone without one and get caught it is only my fault...

That being said, I will gladly go and ask Apple to consider making it an option on upcoming software or hardware updates.
 
That's like saying the car should drive itself because you want to eat your happy meal you just bought.

Put the stupid phone down if you want to solve a safety issue. :)
 
you must be in denial...

If you all think that people don't use their cell phones in the car you are in serious denial. It has become a way of life despite it's dangers. I have many times passed a vehicle going too slow or driving erratically only to find they have one hand on the wheel and the other clutching the cell phone to their ear. I agree that using a cell phone in the car should be outlawed but it is a fact of life and business and it is here to stay. The best thing we can do is to make it as safe as possible for those who choose to legally use their hands free equipped cell phones in the car in the safest manner that technology provides. It is not only the idiot using his phone who is in danger but the soccer mom and her kids who might drive into the path of the idiot on the phone. Millions have purchased the iphone and will use it in their cars whether you like it or not so if a software enhancement can make it safer I say use your computer for something other than games and email Apple to encourage them to make the upgrade to the $500 wonder called an iphone. ($400 wonder for the 8gb model)

The technology is there so I say that having two hands on the steering wheel is better than the alternative. We can work on the concentration issue later. So get real, join the 21st century and email the feedback to Apple lest it be you or your family that falls victim to the idiot on the phone.
 
Of all the things missing from the iPhone this is not high on my list of ones to mail about. You are still going to have to touch the screen somehow.

There are many ways around it as have been outlined in this thread. Follow one of those and don't write a company about their moral obligation. They will do what they will if it isn't against the law.
 
I see the issue with having to dial while driving but I don't see how driving with one hand and holding a phone in one hand effects your concentration. It is the talking and thinking about your conversation that effects your concentration. I still see it as the users "moral obligation" to operate motor vehicle in a safe manner. Which means, IF YOU CAN'T DRIVE AND TALK SAFELY, PUT THE PHONE DOWN!!!
 
Unbelievable

I too was extremely dismayed to find that the $500 16GB iphone that I purchased yesterday, does not have a simple safety feature like voice activated dialing. I called tech support, and one guy told me a software upgrade will be added soon to allow it, while another told me I'll need to buy a new $500 phone in September in order to have the feature.

For all those who are concerned about driving and calling out, I have been doing it with a Motorola earpiece and my Samsung A920 for three years. The technology has been around foreever. It is extremely safe. The earpiece is on my left ear, and I push a button on the earpiece. I never even have to remove the phone from the holster on my hip (as should be the case!). The phone says SAY A COMMAND, and I say, "Call John Smith" and it dials for me and I can talk without ever taking my hands off the steering wheel or eyes off the road.

So that is how it is done safely. What Apple iphone has done is create a $500 phone with plenty of features, but missing a basic safety and convenience feature in voice activated dialing. That a multi billion dollar company full of supposedly brilliant designers could leave off a feature that has been on most mobile phones for years is just astonishing.

Sure, I can refrain from calling people while I sit in L.A. traffic, but with my hands free earpiece, it is easy to do so, IF THE PHONE SUPPORTS IT, so why not call and do what I can while I drive? In three years it has always proven safe with Sprint PCS, because my eyes never leave the road.

I cannot understand why Apple left this off, and in a few months, it will be the law in California that you must use voice activated dialing while driving, and Apple, based in California, doesn't even support it with their latest iphone. Unbelievable.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Why don't you people research the features of a product before you buy them? When I drop a few hundred dollars on a item it better serve my needs.
 
TheotherJoseph said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

Why don't you people research the features of a product before you buy them? When I drop a few hundred dollars on a item it better serve my needs.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
Simple as that.
:cool:
 
Clarification on "hands-free" law in CA...

First, it doesn't take effect until July 1, 2008; Second, the law requires a hands-free device such as a wired or wireless headset/headphone (one ear, no stereo headsets/headphones) and a speakerphone, or push-talk phone; Thirdly, it is mostly supported by law enforcement and insurance companies; Fourthly, law enforcement understands that it's going to be a difficult law to enforce, due largely and impart to the number of violators being in the millions on a daily basis; Fifth, and probably most significant, is the insignificance of the fine, which is $20 for the first offense and $50 for each subsequent violation. Exempt are emergency responders. At present there is nothing about "voice activated dialing" and I don't think that was the intent of the law. I would hope the spirit of the law would lead to the restriction of using a handheld cell phone at anytime while driving, due to public safety concerns. Additionally, unlike some of the other states, California will enforce violations as "primary violations" meaning the individual violator doesn't have to violate another traffic offense, the police officer can ticket the driver on the cell phone violation only. Anyway, my humble opinion and the law! :cool:
 
Do you have to pull over to hit a radio or CD preset on your radio? Put the number in the favorite list, put the phone where it can be easily accessed (like, on one of the many mobile phone mounts). Otherwise, DON'T USE THE PHONE.

Or, use AT&T's service, or, if you have a newer vehicle with built-in Bluetooth speaker/mic, use its voice dialing (like Chyrsler's U-Connect).

As previously posted by JCastro and others - If you can't safely use the phone (or, for that matter, do anything else in your car besides drive) DON'T DO IT. Simple.

rant follows/continues: Voice dialing is convenient, and perhaps less of a distraction, but a safety device? Where do you draw the line? You still press some button to initiate the voice dialing (either on your headset, steering wheel, visor, mirror, or where ever the "button" is). The hands-free laws are absurd. AFAIK, all states already have a "driving while distracted" law. That covers using your radio, a/c, drinking/eating, yelling at kids, putting on makeup, or whatever else we've all seen happen on the road. If you are not capable of doing anything more than driving, DON'T.

Oh, yea, and leave it up to the manufacturer to tell you about all the features that are not included with your $500 purchase.

edit: SFStateStudent beat me to the following:

RandyinLA: the California law does not require voice dialing, only hands-free listening and talking. Text of the new law follows:

A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using a
wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed
and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used
in that manner while driving.
 
Honestly, I don't care about this feature.
I have never used voice dialing on phones in the past.
I have bluetooth handsfree integrated in my car, while it works great for answering the phone, the voice dialing leaves alot to be desired.

If we want to direct Apple's energy somewhere, I say we direct them to releasing the SDK. This voice dialing could be solved by a 3rd party app.
 
InvalidBassist said:
Maybe its just me, but isn't it irresponsible to be focused on something other than driving while driving anyway?

Yes I agree, the iPhone would be an improved device with Voice Dialing and hands free dialing, but I agree with killmoms.
Click to expand...

Amen brother.

I only dial at stop lights and tend to use my one ear BT headset if some-one calls me.

Even then I keep em short and sweet and its the responsibility of no-one but myself to use my iphone safely while driving.
 
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