New iOS11 Feature “Do Not Disturb While Driving”

New iOS11 Feature “Do Not Disturb While Driving”

As my avid blog readers are already aware I am a Baltimore Chiropractor with two Baltimore chiropractic clinics in Baltimore. We treat patients primarily with headaches, neck and back pain. Sometimes these patients just wake up with stiff necks and stiff backs, other times they are injured playing sports, and even more commonly we see Baltimore auto accident injury patients with these symptoms. Lately we’ve seen an uptick in the number of Baltimore car accident patients that we have been treating in my clinics. I suspect that is due to “relaxed” summer work schedules, vacations, and people wanting to get out and enjoy the nice weather we’ve been experiencing.

I came across an article on the internet that I thought was appropriate for the blog. It deals with the release of iOS11, apples soon-to-be-released next operating system. As people with iPhones already know- as soon as the next iphone gets released with the most up-to-date operating system, older versions of the phone are eligible to update their software as well. Typically there are minor improvements over past updates but once in a while major changes come to the phones worth noting.

When iOS11 rolls it it will have a new feature enabled called “Do Not Disturb While Driving.” Simply put, it is a feature that will sense through blue tooth if you are in a vehicle and it will purposely prevent notifications from reaching you in a car. These notifications appear to be only related to app updates, text messages, and social media updates. I believe phone calls can still come through (to be answered over blue tooth). The purpose of the new feature, as you can imagine, is to keep drivers eyes on the roads and focused on driving rather than staring at a screen.

Apple further notes that even if a phones blue tooth is not engaged it can tell how fast you are moving and it will automatically engage the feature over a certain speed (some estimates are approximately 13 mph). Sure, many people could argue that most traffic in Baltimore never seems to move faster than 13 mph, but I am sure Apple will have a work around for that.

For passengers on a bus or other motor vehicle that are not driving there is an option to press an “I’m not driving button” to disable the feature. That way your designated Pokemon catchers and text message relayers can continue what they were doing despite the fact that the car is in motion.

Apple had recently come under fire for not doing enough to prevent distracted driving. This appears to be their attempt at limiting how many messages can get through to drivers while operating motor vehicles. It’s important to note that this feature is not a “total lockout” of distracted driving. Any contact that is text messaging the driver can use the word “urgent” and it will bypass the feature and alert the driver. Additionally, any contact listed under a “favorite” can bypass the block as well.

At the end of the day, we all share these streets and we owe it to ourselves and our fellow motor vehicle drivers to pay attention and keep our eyes on the road. I appreciate that apple is making this easier for us (I too, have glanced at my phone while driving) but it will come down to the end user to determine if this feature has its desired benefit of limiting Baltimore auto accidents due to distracted driving.

If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a results of a Baltimore car accident, and require treatment for your injuries, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to get your back to feeling like yourself again!

Dr. Gulitz