Apple Reveals Latest Feature to Stop Texting and Driving

Do Not disturb While Driving will soon be available on the Iphone

FARGO, ND — Reading one text is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour with your eyes off the road.

Texting and driving is something that we all may have been guilty of at some point in our lives.

“There will be times where I’ll be driving,” said driver Josiah Kohlmeyer. “I’ll see I have a text. I want to respond and if I do, it’ll be at a stop light and I’ll be like ‘hey I’m driving, I’ll text you back later.”

However, stop lights don’t last forever.

With the increased dangers and accidents that can stem from distracted driving, Apple is introducing a new feature called ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’.

“I think it’s smart because then people can’t contact you and you won’t hear the little ding as you’re driving and look down,” said driver Oksana Svidersky.

The feature will be a part of the latest iOS 11 update, which is a new version of the operating software for Apple mobile devices.

iPhones will be able to sense when you might be driving and prevent you from being distracted by calls, text messages and other notifications until later.

“It’s hard to not look down at your phone when you get a notification, so, having an app on your phone that will automatically send a message to let them know you’re busy is incredibly important,” said Jeremiah Halverson, who is a manager with AT&T in Fargo.

Halverson said they’re already ahead of the game with a similar app called ‘Drivemode’ which is readily available for both iPhone and Android users.

“Once you start moving, it’s going to auto respond but you can actually go in there and edit what your response to people is,” said Halverson.

As for parents, it seems app creators made sure to keep you in mind.

“Distracted driving is extremely dangerous and being a mom, I am always worried about the safety of my kids,” said Sim Sek.

“If you’re a parent,” explained Halverson, “you can set it up so it’s on all of your kids’ phones. What that will actually do is send you a text message notification letting you know if your kid tries to turn it off.”

Each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.

Thanks to Apple, you can make sure you’re not playing a part in that statistic.

The Do Not Disturb While Driving feature will become available in the fall.