The bereaved families of traffic accidents complained that Apple has neglected efforts to prohibit text entry while driving

ByJapanexperterna.se

A man who was driving a car while typing text on the iPhone caused a contact accident with the scooter and the man who was on the scooter died. The victim's bereaved insisted that "Apple has a legal obligation to prevent text entry while driving a car," and sued against Apple, but the court dismissed the survivor's claim did.

Suit blaming iPhone for student's death by texting driver is defeated by Apple | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/suit-blaming-iphone-for-students-death-by-texting-driver-is-defeated-by-apple/


Mr. David Riggs, a 20-year old student at the Minnesota State University, was on a scooter and was hit by a man driving a car while typing text with Apple's iPhone. Riggs's bereaved insisted that "Apple has a legal obligation to prevent text entry during driving," Apple said that he could use the patented technology developed to make the iPhone unusable during driving I appeal. However, Mr. Maureen Forlan, a judge of the Santa Clara County High Court, dismissed the plaintiff's request and agreed with Apple's claim that "we do not have a legal obligation to prevent the inadvertent driving."

Ars Technica, an international news media, said that this decision will be a new case for helping Apple's opinion in a trial that alleges that "fatal accidents and injury accidents caused by stammering are Apple's faults." According to the Department of Transportation Road Traffic Safety Administration,Number of fatalities due to inattentive drivingIt is 3477 people in 2015.

ByMIke Kline

However, Mr. Forlan's decision seems to be "provisional decision" to the last, which means that the opportunity of persuasion by Riggs's bereaved side is still left. In this lawsuit, the bereaved family claims that they could use the "lockout mechanism" which Apple acquired in 2014, which is a patent to prevent the use of the iPhone by the driver.

Patent US 8706143 - Driver handheld computing device lock-out - Google patent search


As in this decision, Apple may not be legally obliged to take measures against stolen driving, but it is not because we have not taken any measures. The iOS 11 that will be the next OS of the iPhone is expected to have the function of "Do Not Disturb While Driving", and if this function is enabled, the iPhone Notification will be turned off, so the driver will be able to concentrate on driving only.