At the 2017 WorldWide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, Apple executives gave their first preview of their new software update: iOS 11. The update will include over a dozen new tools and platforms, including a new Augmented Reality feature, an enhancement to Apple Pay, and the addition of a stylus that can be used in conjunction with the iPad Pro.

But one new feature stood out above the rest. During the keynote address, Apple introduced a Do Not Disturb add-on feature that will prevent an iPhone user from receiving notifications of any kind while behind the wheel. This includes texts, social media notifications, and news alerts. The add-on uses bluetooth and wi-fi doppler effect to determine if the device is moving within a car.

If it detects the specific type of movement, it prevents the person from receiving any notifications. The add-on must be turned on voluntarily and it can be turned off if you are in a vehicle and are not driving. And if you are worried that you won’t be able to communicate? The add-on will send out an automated reply to people who text you while you’re driving to inform them that you will answer them once you reach your destination.

“We think this is going to be a really important step for safety in the car,” said Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at WWDC.

The update won’t be released until the fall, but already people within Silicon Valley and the tech industry are praising the Do Not Disturb feature.

The importance of an Apple taking distracted driving seriously can’t be overstated

— Matt Peckham (@mattpeckham) June 5, 2017

“Do not disturb while driving” will save lives.

— Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) June 5, 2017

Do Not Disturb while driving turns the screen off automatically. This will save lives. And probably get turned off by the teens but good.

— Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) June 5, 2017

Distracted driving has been a serious problem in the age of smartphones. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2015 there was approximately 391,000 traffic accidents and approximately 3,477 deaths as a result of distracted driving. The risk level dramatically increases among youth drivers. The National Security Council reported that teen drivers are four times more likely than adult drivers to get into an accident when talking or texting on the phone while driving.

Smartphone usage among millennials in general has also exploded. According to a 2016 Nielsen study, of those who own a mobile phone between the ages of 18-24, 98 percent have a smartphone. Furthermore, 43 percent of those who do have a smartphone have an Apple iOS device.

The announcement follows a recent string of attempted regulation of distracted driving. In New York, the legislature is currently mulling over whether to implement a “textalyzer,” a device that would allow officers at the scene of an accident to access the drivers’ phones to see whether they were using their phones while driving.

The legislation has been criticized for allowing law enforcement to breach people’s private cell phone information for only minor incidents. However, the legislation is currently under review and similar legislation is being proposed in Tennessee, New Jersey, and Chicago.

Whether Apple’s voluntary feature will be useful or not remains to be seen, but with nine people dying a day from distracted driving, it is certainly trending in the right direction.

James Levinson

James Levinson is an Editorial intern at Law Street Media and a native of the greater New York City Region. He is currently a rising junior at George Washington University where he is pursuing a B.A in Political Communications and Economics. Contact James at staff@LawStreetMedia.com

The post Apple Takes a Stance on Texting and Driving with iOS 11 appeared first on Law Street.

Since the advent of cellphones we’ve all heard the warnings: don’t text and drive. The National Security Council estimated that 1.1 million vehicle crashes in 2013 involved drivers using their phones while driving. As a result, many states have made laws forbidding texting and driving. But New York is now looking into a device that would allow police officers to determine if a driver involved in a crash was texting and driving, or otherwise distracted by a phone. It’s called the “textalyzer,” and while its still in developmental phases, the state of New York is currently debating whether or not it should be implemented.

The device has the name “textalyzer” because it would be sort of a phone-testing equivalent of a breathalyzer. Police who arrive at a crash could require drivers to hand over their phones, and then tap the device against the phone. The device would be able to determine if the drivers were using the phones in a way that would lead to distracted driving, such as texting, sending an email, or (the new go-to) Snapchatting.

New York legislators have introduced a bipartisan bill that would grant police officers the ability to use a device like the “textalyzer.” A press release by an advocacy group called the Distracted Operators Risk Casualties, which has been a big backer of the bill explains that the “textalyzer” is still a work in progress. According to the press release:

Cellebrite, the leader in mobile device forensics solutions, is developing this capability for officers to detect device usage in the field while maintaining the privacy of data stored on the device. ‘Cellebrite has been leading the adoption of field mobile forensics solutions by law enforcement for years, culminating in the formal introduction of our UFED FIELD series product line a year ago,’ said Jim Grady, CEO, Cellebrite, Inc. ‘We look forward to supporting DORCs and law enforcement—both in New York and nationally—to curb distracted driving.’

There are plenty of concerns about the potential power of the “textalyzer,” including privacy issues. SCOTUS has ruled in the past that police officers can’t conduct warrantless cell phone searches–so the question becomes whether or not the “textalyzer” (which doesn’t allow officers to look at any messages) is similar enough to be a problem. While both the law and the device itself are in somewhat of beginning stages, these legal and logistical concerns will be sure to take center stage moving forward.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post In New York, “Textalyzer” Device Would Treat Distracted Driving More Like Drunk Driving appeared first on Law Street.