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
149 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
149 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
149 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
149 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)

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