Using your cell phone while driving significantly increases the risk of injury and death for you, for your passengers and for others on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes due to distracted driving. Distracted driving has become a safety crisis because more and more people are now using smartphones.
Apple recently introduced the iOS 11 update for iPhones. The most important feature of this update by far is the Do Not Disturb While Driving mode.
How does Do Not Disturb While Driving work? According to the Apple website, here is what you should expect when Do Not Disturb While Driving is turned on:
- Your iPhone stays silent and the screen stays dark. If someone sends you a message, they receive an automatic reply letting them know that you're driving. If the message is important, the sender can type the word "urgent" to make sure that you receive a notification. Then you can pull over to read their important message or ask Siri to read it to you.
- iPhone delivers some notifications, such as emergency alerts, timers and alarms.
- Phone calls are delivered using the same conditions as standard Do Not Disturb: You can allow calls only from your Favorites, and allow calls to come through if the same person calls twice in a row. If your iPhone connects to your car via Bluetooth, calls will come through as usual, and you can use your car's buttons, microphones, and speakers to take your call.
- If you use Maps to navigate, your iPhone still shows lock-screen navigation help and gives turn-by-turn instructions.
- If you're a passenger and you try to use your iPhone while the feature is active, you must tap I'm Not Driving to turn it off.
For your safety and for the safety of others, the personal injury lawyers of Cunningham Bounds urge iPhone users to turn on Do Not Disturb While Driving. Distracted driving has become a crisis in our nation. If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in an accident where distracted driving was a factor, please give us a call at 251-471-6191 for legal advice, free of charge.
To learn how to use the Do Not Disturb While Driving feature,click here.