Apple’s ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ Feature on iPhone is Already Reducing Dangerous Habits

A new study by insurance comparison site EverQuote has found that smartphone use while driving is still a major issue in the United States, but the introduction of “Do Not Disturb While Driving” in iOS 11 has made a small difference.

The feature, which was released by Apple last year, reduced the amount of iPhone use while behind the wheel by approximately 8 percent. This is a huge win since driving without paying attention can be deadly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that taking your eyes off the road for five seconds is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field while blindfolded.

As an attempt to counter these bad habits, Apple introduced Do Not Disturb While Driving at WWDC 2017 and shipped it as a part of iOS 11. The feature is automatically triggered when the iPhone detects that you are driving and blocks all notifications from appearing on the screen.

While the 8 percent reduction is not major reduction, the feature is definitely helping to lower the numbers of times drivers use their smartphone while behind the wheel.

Interestingly, the survey reported that 41 percent of iPhone users were not aware that this feature was even available. From those who knew about the feature, 75 percent of them believed that it helped them become a safer driver.

[via Business Insider]