Error parsing XSLT file: \xslt\FacebookOpenGraph.xslt Road safety stakeholders call on mobile phone makers to roll-out 'do not disturb while driving' modes
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Road safety stakeholders call on mobile phone makers to roll-out 'do not disturb while driving' modes

Date: 14 September 2017   |   Author: Daniel Puddicombe

A number of road charities and organizations have written to Android, Microsoft and the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) urging them to include an 'opt out' driving mode as standard across mobile devices.

According to the coalition, which is made up of Brake, the RAC, Brighton and Hove City Council, the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety, Red Driving School, Road Safety GB and RoadPeace, such a system to automatically prevent distracting alerts while driving is "urgently needed" in order to tackle "the needless deaths and serious injuries caused by drivers using handheld mobile phones behind the wheel".

The group has not written to Apple, as the company is set to include a 'do not disturb while driving' mode in its latest iOS 11 operating system, which is expected to be released later this week.

In the letter, the group urged Android and Microsoft to commit to rolling out a mode that can:

  • Automatically, as a default setting, switch on when sensors in the handset detect the user is driving
  • Turn the screen blank and suspend any push notifications
  • Send automatic replies via SMS to anyone contacting the user to inform them that they are driving
  • Only permit the handset to be used in conjunction with a hands-free device when enabled
  • Provide evidence that the phone was in 'drive safe' mode - potentially leading to reduced insurance premiums.

In 2015 (the latest year for which figures are available), Department for Transport data shows that 22 people were killed and 99 seriously injured in incidents where a driver was using a handheld mobile phone. The coalition estimates that more crashes could have happened where the illegal use of a mobile was a contributory factor.

The group added that the mobile phone industry "has a major part to play in reducing the distraction caused by phones in the car".

Brake's director of campaigns Jason Wakeford said: "As a society, we have become addicted to our mobile phones, but a split second distraction caused by a call, text or notification behind the wheel can be deadly. The industry must play its part and include technology as standard which helps keep drivers' attention on the road, saving lives and preventing serious injuries."



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