Attorney Wants Dangers Of Wearing Smartwatches While Driving To Be Advertised

Just before you unboxed that Apple Watch, a California attorney is pressuring makers of it and other smartwatches to force them to tell you how dangerous the devices are to use while driving.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a motion was filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court by attorney Stephen Joseph. The court order seeks companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google to help fund a $1-billion campaign to make the public aware that their response times could be delayed if they’re driving a car while wearing one of the devices.

“The temptation to check the tiny screen immediately after receiving a notification is virtually irresistible,” the suit says, adding that looking at the watch means “the road becomes invisible to the driver.”

California has had a texting-while-driving ban since 2008. A 2013 ruling made using a GPS app on a smartphone illegal in the state, but a 2014 appeal reversed that. Automakers are quickly embracing smartwatches as another link to monitoring car vitals or even controlling some functions like sounding the horn or locking and unlocking the vehicle.

It’s unknown right now how the addition of smartwatches will factor into future legislation.