Apple's director of Federal Government Affairs appeared at a daylong summit for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to discuss distracted driving. A number of other executives appeared at the session as well, including representatives from Google, Samsung, AT&T, Sprint, Toyota, General Motors, and more.

Commerce, Science & Transportation
The summit, a multi-part roundtable discussion called "Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving", will look at what manufacturers, OS makers, carriers, and car companies can do to decrease distracted driving.

On Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV will host a daylong summit titled, "Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving". The meeting will explore how technology can be used to minimize distracted driving, which has become a major public safety concern in recent years. With the explosive growth of cellphones and smartphones, and the increasing levels of online connectivity available to people at all times, more drivers are tempted to stay connected in their cars.

In the final discussion, Senator Jay Rockefeller IV will issue "a public challenge" to all parties to "collaborate and build more robust technological solutions to distracted driving".

The Committee has posted video of the discussion on its website.

Top Rated Comments

roadbloc Avatar
156 months ago
If you hate Apple and its products so much why are you here?

Where did I say I hated Apple products? :confused:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Parasprite Avatar
156 months ago
Yay safer driving. Wonder what they will think of iOS in the car...

iOS in the car probably doesn't help one bit.

Tongue-in-cheek aside, it is actually fairly beneficial for Apple to know more about what safety aspects people are worried about and the efficacy of alternative methods when using the technology (normal iOS vs. Siri controls, simplified music app with bigger fonts, etc.).

If people are going to do it anyways, you might as well work to make it as safe as possible.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
156 months ago

If you hate Apple and its products so much why are you here?

If you feel everyone needs to agree on everything, why do you risk communicating with other people?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
156 months ago
From what I understand the M chip in the iPhone can tell if you are driving, walking or stationary. Therefore it seems like it is possible for texting and other distractions to be turned off while driving. Obviously, I am speculating, but what if you had a setting called safe driver? It would essentially leave only Siri as an interface on while driving. That way you still have access to most features while eliminating the distracting features.

The technology is there, and apple is the company that can figure out how to make this al work perfectly.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

App Store and Apple TV Experiencing Outage

Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:36 pm PST by
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...
airtag prime day 2

Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras

Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...