It is meant to be hip and convenient, but is the new Apple Watch also a threat to safety?
You may keep it on your wrist, but safety experts are questioning whether the new wearable device will be just as much of a driver distraction as handheld cellphones and tablet computers. And British authorities have indicated that someone using an Apple Watch when involved in a fatal crash could be subject to up to two years in prison.
The UK’s Institute for Advanced Motorists is leading the charge, declaring that the Watch “could significantly impair driving performance – being a major cause for distraction and road accidents.”
The organization cited a four-year simulator study on smartphone use indicating mobile phones had contribute to nearly 2,000 accidents in Britain including 110 fatalities. Distracted driving, in general, was blamed by British authorities for causing 54,000 crashes between 2010 and 2012. In the U.S., the problem has also been cited as a major cause of highway collisions, injuries and fatalities.