Apple to introduce speed sensors in cars to stop drivers texting at the wheel

 

Texting from behind the wheel could be made impossible after Apple launched plans to install a device that could stop drivers from sending messages. 

The electronic giants have filed a patent for a system that could bar access to an iPhone's messaging apps while a user is driving.

Sensors installed in phones would be able to detect the speed of the vehicle and work out where someone was sitting. This would allow passengers to send messages without any restrictions.

Messaging at the wheel is hard to detect and has become so common that many believe a law barring it would not make a difference.

Documents filed on behalf of Apple in the US suggest they are looking to develop 'lockout mechanisms that disable the ability of a handheld computing device to perform certain functions, such as texting, while one is driving'.

Other plans include technology installed in the car that would block out phone signals from outside.

In the patent, they suggest police find it hard to catch drivers who are texting because the device 'can be used out of sight'.

Paul Watters, the head of motoring policy for the AA, told The Times: 'Apple could have the power to change the culture behind texting and driving, if it works and is intuitive. That would be a very good step.'

He said that research by the AA suggested that texting was an addiction 'that is very hard to break even when in the car'.

A study by Brake, the road safety charity, suggested that texting increased the risk of crashing 23 times and slowed a drivers reaction by more than a third.