Really no different from anything you do hands-free, including carrying a conversation with someone over Bluetooth or even with the passenger sitting next to you. Maybe pass a law banning anyone in the car from talking to you 😀
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Using Apple Watch whilst driving.
- Thread starter snarlz
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Really no different from anything you do hands-free, including carrying a conversation with someone over Bluetooth or even with the passenger sitting next to you. Maybe pass a law banning anyone in the car from talking to you 😀
Night Spring
macrumors P6
I read an article a while back (unfortunately I don't remember where) that said that while talking to a passenger can be as distracting as talking on a phone, a passenger is in the car with the driver, so knows to stop talking if something happens that requires the driver to focus full attention on driving. And I've read many many articles saying that talking on the phone while driving IS distracting, although obviously not as much as taking your eyes off the road to text. Some studies suggest that hands-free calling doesn't improve driving safety over regular calling, though I've yet to see anyone go as far as to suggest banning all phone calls while driving.
mcdj
macrumors G3
If looking at your stamp collection is a bad idea while driving, then looking at your smart watch while driving is equally bad.
Why on earth do people feel the need to be told it's legal/illegal? Who cares if it's legal? Stupid is stupid. Dangerous is dangerous.
Why on earth do people feel the need to be told it's legal/illegal? Who cares if it's legal? Stupid is stupid. Dangerous is dangerous.
richpjr
macrumors 601
If you can talk on the Apple Watch and still hold onto the wheel then it must be better than using your phone. My se up with the bluetooth kit means that my apple watch doesn't ring in the car my phone automatically sends the call to the bluetooth kit.
Enygmatic
macrumors 65816
No they don't... they sound like a responsible person who'd rather not have any distractions while driving. That's not impossible, either... comes down to discipline. I get the whole "justify your actions thing", and sure - it's probably less blatantly dangerous than staring at your phone and typing while driving through a school zone, but nope - it's all about distraction from the task at hand. If you're doing ANY of those - talking, texting, etc. - even using Siri or another assistant, your attention is NOT completely on the road. Too many studies have proven this - some even going as far as using professional drivers to try and compensate for lapses in concentration.
You ever even just have a good conversation or laugh with someone else in the car, and miss your turn? Yep... distraction. People have a hard enough time walking and texting or being on the phone, even when they do that "phone in their hand but still on speakerphone" crap. They still bump into people; there's no way any of that translates well to operating a damn vehicle. (And I can multitask rather well, but the ROAD is not the place to test or show off that skill)
It's not hard at all for me to say that I don't look at the phone for any reason when I'm driving. "I texted you earlier..." "Sorry, I was driving." And that's the end of that. If I'm at a red light (and am expecting a call or message), you MAY get a pre-made "Sorry... driving" reply. That's usually for my wife, to prevent her mind from racing to the depths of hell.
Maybe I find driving without added distractions easier because I'm not triggered to respond to each and every notification. Maybe it's because I'm my unit's safety officer. Maybe it's because my government-issued phone has a distinct notification, and I do something pretty rare (it seems) - I pull over to respond. Maybe it's because I ride a motorcycle, and we're pretty used to setting up our directions, music, etc. prior to heading out, since we have even less room for error. Maybe it's because I've been a passenger in a car during one of those "I just took my eyes off the road for a second, officer" moments that nearly ended tragically. Or maybe it's because I've been slammed into with my daughter in the car, by a woman on a hands-free device who was SO into her conversation that she didn't notice the traffic in front of her was completely stopped at a light. Likely one of those...
Is any of that to imply that I'm "just perfect"? Not at all. But I DO take the responsibility of driving more seriously than some. Smiley face.
TL;DR No.
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Talkingtoaster
macrumors regular
You answered your own statement. No more of a distraction than talking to a passenger or singing to music.
Talkingtoaster
macrumors regular
I was referring to other watch actions such as texts etc. As far as maps go well they pop up on the lock screen or the app is constantly open on screen. I turned off the watch turn by turn instructions as in my car it's useless you cant feel it. My car is a little 'stiff' lets say, you feel every bump on the road so you wouldn't feel a vibration on the wrist. Maybe in a normal smooth car it works though. Still would rather consult a screen for more than basic left or right turns and busy roundabouts etc.
I did use the turn by turn while on foot and it was great. I used to have one ear phone plugged in giving me directions in unfamiliar towns, much safer and less subtle than holding an expensive phone. Now with the watch it's great being on foot getting directions. Really love that.
I recently took my girlfriend and her parents to Paris for the weekend and I was using the maps app to get around and they thought I knew the area as I had no map and I appeared to know where I was going
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Er, no, I didn't answer myself. I said I didn't know what level of distraction talking to Siri was. And I still don't know, because to me, talking to someone else is a LOT more distracting than singing along with music. So when you say talking to Siri is the same as these two, to me, very different things, that doesn't give me a good idea of how distracting talking to Siri is.
Talkingtoaster
macrumors regular
Distracting to you, as an individual. Doesn't mean it is to someone else does it?
As you said you don't drive yourself so how could you possibly comment from experience?
Some people have little ability when driving that they can do very little but grip the wheel and stare at the road with tunnel vision and barely manage to drive, let alone talking or listening to music! God forbid anyone like that uses a watch, we'd all be dead. Especially on the motorway which is full of people unable to control a car at 70mph let alone without using a watch. For those people I'd rather they didn't use it at all. Most people still press the send button even though you can ask Siri to send as well. I've personally had someone smash into me as he was on his phone and Ive seen it many times here, even truck drivers on their phone while driving a 20+ tonne truck.
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In Connecticut, they say:
Definition of a "Mobile Electronic Device":
Definition of a "Mobile telephone":
As the AW is capable of communicating between two or more persons and is capable of playing a video game, it is illegal to use it in Connecticut while driving. With all this being said, if I was cited for navigating using my AW, or using it as a phone, I would certainly take it to court and let the prosecutor/judge review the case. (Side note: Licensed amateur radio [HAM] operators are exempt from this law in CT....)
tl;dr: Drivers, pay attention while driving. Cops, don't be a dick.
Sources:
Definition of a "Mobile Electronic Device":
Definition of a "Mobile telephone":
As the AW is capable of communicating between two or more persons and is capable of playing a video game, it is illegal to use it in Connecticut while driving. With all this being said, if I was cited for navigating using my AW, or using it as a phone, I would certainly take it to court and let the prosecutor/judge review the case. (Side note: Licensed amateur radio [HAM] operators are exempt from this law in CT....)
tl;dr: Drivers, pay attention while driving. Cops, don't be a dick.
Sources:
I'm not sure there isn't two or three debates going on here, but I can only address what I was told I was doing that was dangerous. I use hands free for all communication using what is built into my car and millions of other cars doing exactly was the law wants us to do. Now I am being told that using hands free and looking only at the road and traffic, I am not fully engaged because my mind might be elsewhere talking on the phone over the car stereo or listening to a text over the radio is worse than listening to the radio or talk radio or talking to a passenger? Ridiculous.
Comparing any of us talking to Siri by saying hey Siri or taking a phone call over the car radio means our mind is less engaged than a teenage mind behind the wheel or anyone having a bad day? Dumb.
What's more distracting, listening to a text or changing the temp or volume that isn't on the steering wheel? You have to look away even for a second. I don't look away. It's either hey Siri or my thumb touches the voice button on the steering wheel. Isn't that why we added hands free and heads up display and steering wheel controls for voice control?
I get what people are saying. If you a dictating a text message using Siri, you may look at your wrist or watch to see what is being said. Yet, the argument was someone dictating is somehow more distracted than daydreaming or looking away for a second. When I receive a text, even before the watch, my thumb hits the speak button and I ask Siri to read the last text. That is not distracting to the driver. Responding is not distracting. Maybe if you are a teenager or have never drove a call or are not very good at using your mind for more than one task, I agree. If you are any of these, you shouldn't reply either.
Sometimes we take things too far to argue a point when others were saying they do text and drive and we ignore those posts to argue with someone who says they use the hands free for everything.
How many of us has missed an exit just because we were daydreaming? No radio on, no passenger, no cell phone, no nothing. Are you a threat on the road? Is daydreaming more dangerous because we all do that more than dictate text messages. 🙂
Comparing any of us talking to Siri by saying hey Siri or taking a phone call over the car radio means our mind is less engaged than a teenage mind behind the wheel or anyone having a bad day? Dumb.
What's more distracting, listening to a text or changing the temp or volume that isn't on the steering wheel? You have to look away even for a second. I don't look away. It's either hey Siri or my thumb touches the voice button on the steering wheel. Isn't that why we added hands free and heads up display and steering wheel controls for voice control?
I get what people are saying. If you a dictating a text message using Siri, you may look at your wrist or watch to see what is being said. Yet, the argument was someone dictating is somehow more distracted than daydreaming or looking away for a second. When I receive a text, even before the watch, my thumb hits the speak button and I ask Siri to read the last text. That is not distracting to the driver. Responding is not distracting. Maybe if you are a teenager or have never drove a call or are not very good at using your mind for more than one task, I agree. If you are any of these, you shouldn't reply either.
Sometimes we take things too far to argue a point when others were saying they do text and drive and we ignore those posts to argue with someone who says they use the hands free for everything.
How many of us has missed an exit just because we were daydreaming? No radio on, no passenger, no cell phone, no nothing. Are you a threat on the road? Is daydreaming more dangerous because we all do that more than dictate text messages. 🙂
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Night Spring
macrumors P6
Like I said, I don't drive, so I can't say for certain, but it seems to me that if you can miss a turn because you are daydreaming, then you could also miss a red light while daydreaming. So yes, I'd say daydreaming while driving is probably dangerous. As dangerous as texting? Probably not.
It's just that I've been reading a lot of articles about how people can't really actually multitask, and most people who think they are good at multitasking are actually not good at it. (If interested google "multitasking myth.") So it seems that this applies also to multitasking while driving. And while people have brought up examples of controlling music on car radios, that takes only a second. Seems to me that listening to and dictating messages using Siri would take considerably longer, and therefore more dangerous, because the distraction lasts longer. I think the difference between hands-free vs using hands distraction is exaggerated. In my opinion, it seems like the key is how long the distraction lasts, not whether it involves the use of our hands while driving.
I mentioned this discussion to my partner, who pointed out that the content of a phone conversation could make a difference. He thought a casual "Hi, what's up? Want to meet up for dinner?" kind of conversation would be ok while driving, but he would pull over if he was getting into an involved conversation about business things with our boss.
BarracksSi
Suspended
The reason these arguments drag out so hard is it's always "they" who can't handle distracted driving. Nobody is going to publicly admit, even on an Internet forum, when they've screwed up behind the wheel, especially when they were doing exactly what others are railing against.
I'm damned lucky that I didn't cause an accident in my early days of having a text-capable phone. Now I dictate texts to my wife (if she's in the car; if not, I let the phone sit there). I've taken my mom's phone out of her hand and spoken on her behalf before she got a car with a speakerphone.
Like I said earlier, nearly all of the drivers I see out there making mistakes are also holding onto a phone.
When I'm walking on my commute, I carry coffee instead of a brick. I'm more likely to preserve my coffee, and throwing a brick through a windshield would just escalate the stupidity.
I'm damned lucky that I didn't cause an accident in my early days of having a text-capable phone. Now I dictate texts to my wife (if she's in the car; if not, I let the phone sit there). I've taken my mom's phone out of her hand and spoken on her behalf before she got a car with a speakerphone.
Like I said earlier, nearly all of the drivers I see out there making mistakes are also holding onto a phone.
When I'm walking on my commute, I carry coffee instead of a brick. I'm more likely to preserve my coffee, and throwing a brick through a windshield would just escalate the stupidity.
Best response... the internet makes us more invisible and never wrong and super tough. I use handsfree or, like you, my wife when the kids want to talk. In most cases, I reply using siri and my car stereo saying I am driving or I have SIRI call them. To say hands-free drivers never looking down and only focusing on the road are dangerous because they are not thinking completely about the road is ridiculous. Thank you for your post.
Night Spring
macrumors P6
How can you be only focusing on the road if you are also talking at the same time? You are doing two things at once, therefore, your attention is divided. I'm not saying your attention is necessarily divided to a dangerous degree -- I realize that many people drive while talking to a passenger or while talking hands free on the phone without causing accidents. But if you say "hands-free drivers are completely focusing on the road," I have to think that you and I have a different definition of "completely focused."
It was more along the line that talking to SIRI or listening to SIRI was worse than talking to a passenger as well as being dangerous to other people on the road. It's another case of me not trying to argue with you or anyone, but to say that saying "Hey Siri - send a text to my wife - I'll be home in 10" or talking on the phone over the car radio is dangerous is ridiculous. However, based on your wording that by talking to SIRI or a Passenger is dangerous because you are not 100% focusing on one task is technically correct. A person dedicated to driving as their only task - no radio, no talking, no singing, etc, etc... would have to be the safest driver. Then again, the person could be a poor driver, too tense, too nervous. 🙂 Not sure there is a single person here that can say they are 100% focused on driving with all things above not in use.
I think we have beat a dead horse long enough. You are technically correct. Any distraction, any conversation, daydreaming, etc. is technically dangerous and not dedicating 100% to driving.
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that anything less than a 100% focus on driving is dangerous. I think in my attempts to make my point, I may have come across that way, and for that, I apologize.
While I don't drive, from my observations of other people driving, my feeling is something like 80-90% focus on driving is enough to be safe under normal circumstances. Perhaps even less focus is needed if you are driving on a straight patch of road with little traffic. It's just that people talk about hand-free phone calls / Siri as if that was a 100% guaranteed cure-all for distracted driving. And I don't think it is. If you are trying to dictate to Siri, and Siri gets your message wrong, then in that moment of trying to figure out how to correct Siri, your concentration could dip below the safe focus level. If you are having a hands-free conversation with your accountant about some complicated tax details, again, your concentration could dip below the safe level. Of course, neither of these examples are as dangerous as taking your eyes off the road to type a text. But while going hands-free is more responsible than having a phone in your hand, as a pedestrian and a passenger, I'd feel safer if car drivers weren't trying to send texts at all, even through Siri.
No need to apologize - I was doing the same thing, and you are right - texting and driving is something we all may have tried and some still do. To avoid an argument with anyone, I said "we all MAY have tried" 🙂 . Awhile back (2-3 years ago, I was texting and driving on a back road where I live and hit send and I had veered into the other lane. It was at that point that I never did it again. It is especially common for teenagers to text and drive and that is the worst because they are also the worst drivers simply from lack of experience. I have played words with friends while in my car... sitting and waiting for the boats to cross so the bridge would go down. 🙂
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Well, while I don't drive, I've done things like walk into a garbage can while trying to read texts while walking. 😛 Yeah, the temptation is certainly strong! 😉
And I've also been playing games on my phone during TV commercial breaks, then looked up to realize I've missed the first few minutes of my TV program (thank god for rewind!). So I firmly tell myself never to do that during live events, and yet.... ;p
So to get back to the thread topic, I do think the taptic directions could be useful during driving, but I wonder if notifications on the watch might not be too distracting. Like I'm developing a pavlovian instinct to look down at my watch if it buzzes/taps, and I think that could be dangerous if someone did that at the wrong moment while driving. Is it possible to have the watch/phone in DND mode and still get driving directions?
Newtons Apple
Suspended
I my opinion the watch is a very poor device for using while driving. I would rather pull my phone out and use it as it requires just one hand.
Of course using the watch is going to be considered illegal, other than perhaps glancing at the time. Its no less distracting than using your phone. If you were making a call, and your car doesnt have built in bluetooth I think you'd be in for the 3 points and fine.
BarracksSi
Suspended
I'm going to have to try "Hey, Siri," on the watch. I don't mind using it on the phone because it has audible feedback when Siri starts listening. The watch at least gives a tap when Siri's ready for instructions.
Or, yes, I could press and hold the crown instead.
Or, yes, I could press and hold the crown instead.
Hey Siri is exceptional on the watch and better and faster than the iPhone. Literally raise your wrist and say "Hey Siri" and as soon as the watch starts to respond, you can tell siri to do whatever and put your wrist down knowing it will complete and carry out the task without any feedback from you. I am so impressed with Siri on the watch from how well it works to how quickly you can enter a to do or reminder without keeping your wrist raised or waiting for some feedback that it is listening.
Couldn't be easier or more reliable though it may be my no accent northern deeper voice.
I posted this on another thread, but I can raise my wrist and say "Hey Siri" and as soon as the screen clears, I can say "Remind me on Friday at 9am to take out the trash" and lower my arm even before siri has acknowledged what I said and a few seconds later, I will feel a haptic feedback that the reminder has been set. I have used siri many times while driving and my hands never leave the steering wheel and the screen comes on often. 🙂 I will say "Hey Siri" send a text to my wife - I will be home in 15 minutes" and it is sent without any acknowledgement or the screen even being on. It's one place where I can setup reminders and to do's and respond to text messages without ever moving a hand or moving my eyes off the road. Though this was hotly debated here. 🙂