‘Apple Watch will significantly impair driving performance’

When the gadget is released next year, it will allow users to make and receive calls, check their messages and monitor their health by operating the device on their wrists.But people who use Apple Watch while on the road are at risk of causing fatal crashes and will face the same penalties as those caught […]

When the gadget is released next year, it will allow users to make and receive calls, check their messages and monitor their health by operating the device on their wrists.
But people who use Apple Watch while on the road are at risk of causing fatal crashes and will face the same penalties as those caught on their mobile phones.
This is according to the London-based Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) who has warned that smartwatches will ‘significantly’ impair driving performance.
Existing research by the IAM on smartphone use between 2006 and 2010 found distraction from a mobile phone was a contributory factor in 1,960 road accidents, 110 of which were fatal.
 As opposed to using a hands-free piece of equipment, the Apple Watch will require drivers to use two hands to operate the device.
The IAM claims this will impact speed, lane position and time spent looking at the road, contributing to more serious crashes.
Apple Watch has a completely new user interface, different from the iPhone.
The ‘crown’ on the Apple Watch is a dial called the ‘digital crown.’
Users can turn the crown to zoom in and out on a map, or scroll a list. The crown can be pressed to take user back to the home screen.
Different areas on the watch face can be customised with taps and swipes.
The Glances feature shows information users would like to see, similar to Google Now.
Music can also be controlled on an iPhone through the Apple Watch.
Built-in is a ‘taptic engine’ that responds to vibrations users feel on their wrist.
It understands questions in messages and then offers pre-selected answers, and messages can be dictated to the iPhone.
Users can also talk to the watch and send a voice reply, or have it transcribed to them.
There is no keyboard on the watch, and messages can only be sent through dictation, or emoji.
Apple is yet to confirm battery life, but sources suggest it needs to be charged every night.
But Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said using any electronics gadget while driving will carry the same penalty as using a hand-held mobile phone. You could be billed N5000 as a penalty if you are caught, an official told Daily Trust in Abuja on Thursday.
And depending on what state you’re driving in the US, using a mobile behind the wheel could land you a $10,000 (N1.8m) fine and a year in prison.
“[Apple Watch] has the potential to be just as distracting as any other smartphone device,” said Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research.
“Indeed more so if you have to take your hand off the wheel and your eyes off the road to interact with it.”
“Enforcement will be difficult for the police, but powers exist to seize and interrogate devices in the event of a serious crash. The very device that distracted you also has the power to convict you.”