Gridlock Guy: Smartwatches are nice, but also another driving distraction - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

But my wife, Momo, got 1 precocious for fitness-monitoring and she uses it each the time. The Apple Watch’s accomplishment led to immoderate treatment astir however to grip the changeless notifications portion driving.

The 2018 Hands-Free Georgia Act fundamentally banned astir instances of driving and holding a mobile device: phone, tablet and, yes, smartwatch. And the instrumentality banned immoderate lawsuit of texting, unless a idiosyncratic employed hands-free voice-to-texting. The main impetus of the instrumentality is to let officers to much easy enforce against the astir unsafe driving-distraction: texting.

But smartwatches connection much insidious ways of some being distracted and avoiding enforcement. People are allowed to deterioration those watches and drive. And checking the antithetic pings connected the watches’ faces hardly looks arsenic distracting oregon law-offending arsenic holding a telephone and texting does.

So wherever is the enactment with these watches and what are the dangers? Let’s zoom retired to the larger contented first.

‘Unbelievably risky’

John Foy, whom galore Atlantans person seen and heard successful his “Strong Arm” commercials, is simply a idiosyncratic wounded attorney. He and his steadfast person tried conscionable astir each spirit of car clang lawsuit for the amended portion of 3 decades. Foy, with whom I spouse successful commercials connected 95.5 WSB, is peculiarly disturbed by the wide spike successful distracted driving.

“I spot astute phones arsenic 1 of the apical 2 causes of centrifugal conveyance accidents,” Foy told maine this week, noting that dangerous, assertive driving is the different apical factor. “Cell telephone usage portion driving is unbelievably risky behaviour arsenic good and I spot truthful galore radical doing it. Even with each the information features that cars person these days, we can’t assistance ourselves and enactment our phones down.”

Foy besides underlined thing that defies logic. “We’ve each been educated connected the superior consequences of drinking and driving but radical don’t look to recognize that compartment telephone usage portion driving is similar drunk driving.”

Foy doubled down connected this, noting however the summation successful vehicular information features has not kept the clang and fatality counts from increasing. “Cell phones are a immense crushed for this. I spot radical driving regular portion connected their telephone and I spot the horrible consequences of compartment telephone usage successful cars during my time astatine enactment arsenic I assistance injured mishap victims.”

Staying focused connected the roadworthy ahead

And if idiosyncratic straps a smartwatch connected their Strong Arm? “The smartwatches are particularly distracting due to the fact that they vibrate arsenic you get a caller communication,” Foy said. “And you look astatine your ticker and instrumentality your eyes disconnected the road. As you know, driving is each astir being focused connected the roadworthy ahead. We person each go addicted to our smartphones and watches arsenic we perpetually cheque our devices. The vibrating watches are particularly troublesome.”

This isn’t a afloat assemblage slam connected connected timepieces either. While not afloat legal, a operator can, technically, much safely interact with their telephone by talking into their ticker than by picking up that phone. Some mobile apps bash not interface with those infotainment dashboard screens, truthful the ticker makes the enactment little cumbersome.

But, arsenic Foy said, smartwatches besides prosecute a motorist adjacent much with their phones’ notifications. Driving demands afloat absorption — or, astatine precise least, acold much attraction than the mean operator pays.

Smart watches are convenient. Their health-tracking abilities whitethorn beryllium large for measuring bosom rates successful Atlanta traffic. But those watches besides tune minds adjacent much truthful to the texts, emails, and societal engagement that tally interference connected the laser absorption needed to aviator a car.

Doug Turnbull, the PM thrust Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic connected 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. He besides hosts a postulation podcast with Smilin’ Mark McKay on wsbradio.com. Contact him astatine Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.