While the ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ feature is activated, the phone either senses via Bluetooth that you’re driving or uses the accelerometer to block incoming texts.joanne elves/The Globe and Mail
Do Not Disturb While Driving by Apple
Available at: iPhone upgrade to iOS 11
Price: Free
Every day in the United States, nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured due to car accidents involving a distracted driver. One form of distracted driving is visual – taking your eyes off the road. Obviously that little ping notifying you when a text comes into your phone is distracting, and there's a temptation to check it out. Bluetooth technology has made calls less distracting but we still need to avoid those sight-stealing texts.
The latest iOS update on iPhones has a free feature to flip on and forget about. While the "Do Not Disturb While Driving" feature is activated, the phone either senses via Bluetooth that you're driving or uses the accelerometer to block incoming texts.
Tap to turn the feature on for the duration of the ride. It will automatically resume the next time you drive. Set the "auto-reply" to send an automatic reply to let texters know you are driving. If the word "urgent" is in the text, it will go through. When you are done driving, the texts ping as usual.
Parents can set the "Do Not Disturb" on our young drivers' iPhones and block changes under the password protected restrictions tab. Maybe we should have them do the same to our phones, too.
Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.