Apple has patented a new system which could lock users out of their iPhones if it detects that they are driving.
The technology would stop drivers from texting, making calls and using apps when they're behind the wheel.
The patent describes how the system could determine whether it was moving by using information from GPS, phone towers or even by using images taken by the phone's camera. On top of this, the system would be able to distinguish between driver and passenger by using algorithms to detect a steering wheel in close proximity to the camera, and even by searching for the number of faces in the car -- one face would indicate that it is the driver who's using the phone.
Apple even claims that the accelerometer in the iPhone could be used to detect whether the driver is deliberately tilting the device to prevent revealing the steering wheel to the camera and circumventing the system.
Similar systems are already available on Android phones; however, this is the first time we've seen them on Apple devices. Apple's tech would also be automatic, removing the need for the user to download an app.
Apple claims in its patent application, which was filed in 2008 but only granted this week, that texting while driving "has become a major concern of parents, law enforcement, and the general public." It goes on to say that because texting while driving is so widespread, it is "doubtful that law enforcement will have any significant effect on stopping the practice."
Road safety charity Brake claims that texting while driving slows reaction times by 35 per cent and is as dangerous as being a quarter over the legal drink-drive limit.
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