After the Apple Watch ships to initial customers Friday, thousands of motorists might be sneaking a glance at the smartwatch to read text messages and other alerts.
On Monday, an attorney filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Google that seeks a court order for the technology companies to fund a $1 billion public education campaign about the dangers of using a smartwatch while driving. In his lawsuit, Stephen Joseph says smartwatches are a bigger distraction for drivers than smartphones because the vibrations and the sounds from the watches will be more difficult to ignore.
“The temptation to check the tiny screen immediately after receiving a notification is virtually irresistible,” the lawsuit says. Looking at the watch means “the road becomes invisible to the driver,” it says.
Last month, British consulting firm Transport Research Laboratory said in a report that looking at a smartwatch results in a delayed reaction time while driving of about 2.5 seconds, compared with about 1.9 seconds with a smartphone.
Los Angeles Times