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.

Last week, we took a look at New York’s proposed “Textalyzer,” a new PTSD report, and a first date from hell. ICYMI, check out some Law Street’s most talked about stories below!

New York May Legalize “Textalyzer” to Bust Distracted Drivers

Most of you have probably done it. You hear a ding or feel that all too familiar faint  buzz, and tell yourself there’s no harm in taking a quick glance at the screen–I mean it could be important. But as harmless as a quick text from behind the wheel might seem, texting while driving can be incredibly dangerous. Looking to put a stop to the trend, New York lawmakers are considering legalizing technology that would help police bust distracted drivers.

Soldiers Discharged for Misconduct Often Suffer from PTSD, Other Disorders

As many as three-fifths of soldiers that are discharged for misconduct actually have post-traumatic stress disorder or other types of brain injuries, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The report confirms a suspicion that has been talked about for a long time. “It is everything many of us believed for years,” said Iraq veteran Kristopher Goldsmith, who is an assistant director at Vietnam Veterans of America. “Now I hope Congress will direct the resources to making it right.”

Texas Man Sues His Date for $17 After She Texted During a Movie

A man from Texas was not happy with how his first date was going, and sued the woman he went out with–all because she was texting at the movies. Brandon Vezmar, 37, met his date online and invited her to go see the 3D version of “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” in Austin. But she apparently wasn’t as excited as he was to see the new blockbuster.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Most of you have probably done it. You hear a ding or feel that all too familiar faint  buzz, and tell yourself there’s no harm in taking a quick glance at the screen–I mean it could be important. But as harmless as a quick text from behind the wheel might seem, texting while driving can be incredibly dangerous. Looking to put a stop to the trend, New York lawmakers are considering legalizing technology that would help police bust distracted drivers.

Dubbed the “Textalyzer,” or Breathalyzer for texting, the device would allow authorities at the scene of an accident to immediately search drivers’ phones to see if they were using them at the time of the crash.

If passed, the law would come to be known as Evan’s law, for 19-year-old Evan Lieberman, who died in a 2011 head-on-collision that was later found to be the result of a distracted driver.

Evan’s father, Ben Lieberman, worked with New York State Senator Terrence Murphy (R-Westchester) and Assembly Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz (D-Kings) to introduce the bipartisan bill, which has already been approved by New York’s state senate committee on transportation, but is still pending in the finance committee.

“The general public knows distracted driving is a problem, but if people knew the extent of the damage caused by this behavior, they would be amazed,” said Lieberman in a press release. “With our current laws, we’re not getting accurate information because the issue is not being addressed at the heart of the problem—with the people causing the collisions.”

The plugin technology, currently being developed by Israeli tech developer Cellebrite, would report the exact time a phone was used, but not provide access to any content—keeping conversations, contacts, numbers, photos, and application data private.

Similar initiatives have been introduced in Tennessee, New Jersey, and the city of Chicago. However, privacy proponents worry the technology could still be used to record driver’s personal information without their consent or a warrant.

“Every fender bender would become a pretense for gobbling up people’s private cellphone information, and we know that cellphones typically contain our entire lives,” said New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman, who is no relation to Ben Lieberman.

According to Fortune, the proposed law states that “every person who operates a motor vehicle in the state shall be deemed to have given consent to field testing of his or her mobile telephone and/or personal electronic device for the purpose of determining the use thereof while operating a motor vehicle.”

Ultimately Lieberman hopes the technology will act as deterrent for would-be distracted drivers and serve as resource for police officers to collect more extensive data on these types of situations.

“The last thing I want to do is be responsible for legislation that is going to infringe on someone’s privacy,” he told NBC News, “but I also don’t want to bury another child.”

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post New York May Legalize “Textalyzer” to Bust Distracted Drivers 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.