Filed under: Bluetooth, TUAW Tips, iPhone
iPhone 101: Safe driving with iPhone
Let's face it, the less distractions you have while driving the better, even if the government can't decide whether or not to tell you how dangerous phones + cars can be. Last week I was happy to see Penn Jillette (a magician whose work I've admired since I was too young to say the name of his current show) on Twitter proudly announce he was going to quit calling and texting in the car. Bravo!Penn happens to sport an iPhone, and like any modern cell phone, it has "airplane mode." I'm going to show you how to set the iPhone to this "no call" mode, and explain why you probably don't have to while driving. Plus, if you absolutely must talk while driving I'll explain a helpful trick with the 3GS. You should never under any circumstances try to type while driving -- pull over, already.
To turn off your iPhone's cell radio, thus preventing distracting text messages, push messages and phone calls, go to Settings > Airplane Mode and turn the switch ON. Pretty easy, yes, I know. But unless you are going to use the iPhone's audio in your car (and there's like a zillion apps for that), you could just as easily turn off the ringer. The switch above the volume buttons on the left of the screen controls the mute for external sounds. When you arrive at your destination, check your phone for missed calls, etc.
If you have a 3GS, you can use the Apple headphones that came with it to activate Voice Control, giving you a relatively safe method of interacting with your iPhone while driving (except for a proper, Bluetooth speaker/mic or in-car solution, I guess). Plug in the headphones and put the headphone directly connected to the microphone in your ear. Press and hold the "middle" button (in-between the volume buttons) for about 3 seconds, until you hear the beeps. Voice Control is now on! You can control the iPod functions and make calls, but I recommend you try Voice Control before you start driving. Note that there are voice dialing apps for previous iPhones, but I feel having to see the screen to push even one button is an unacceptable distraction.
The New York Times and many other news outlets have reported on the unreleased government study showing that even talking on the phone increased the likelihood of having an accident -- whether you are hands-free calling or not. Driving and chatting with a disembodied voice can be distracting, apparently. So, again, the only truly safe thing to do is to switch off your cell radio entirely (Airplane mode). This won't allow you to play streaming radio stations, but it may save your life. Otherwise, use your willpower to ignore the chimes, rings and buzzes, and if you absolutely must talk or text, pull over.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Quix said 1:12PM on 7-22-2009
If I were king, texting while driving would be a felony. It's just pure criminal stupidity.
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Kyle Derouen said 1:22PM on 7-22-2009
Well thank God you aren't king. It's a matter of personal freedom. The government has no right to infringe on my life to this point. Of course with our current president, such totalitarian ideas may soon become reality
Drakhul said 1:39PM on 7-22-2009
I'd be your executioner... Texting while driving??? OFF WITH HIS/HER HEAD!
Le Big Mac said 1:42PM on 7-22-2009
Are you kidding, Kyle? If you're driving on a road that you've closed to everyone else, sure, go right ahead. But since 99.9999% of the time you're sharing the road with other cars, and also have pedestrians, cyclists, etc. in the vicinity, it's hardly an issue of personal freedom any more than getting sh*tfaced and driving is.
Michael Rose said 1:43PM on 7-22-2009
Actually, Kyle, since your driver's license is issued by your state, your rights as a motor vehicle operator are rather circumscribed. You can't consume alcohol before driving, for example, nor can you drive a car without a full compliment of safety equipment.
You may feel that it's your right to cruise along with an open can of Pabst and no brake lights, but at that point your personal freedoms are in conflict with the rights and safety of fellow motorists and pedestrians. The phone call/texting issue is the same thing. If you're demonstrably more likely to kill yourself or someone else while behind the wheel, your state has the responsibility to discourage the hazardous behavior.
michas_pi said 2:05PM on 7-22-2009
@Kyle Derouen:
So you're saying that I have the freedom to text while driving, the freedom to cause an accident, and the freedom to possibly take another human life?
Slippery slope, my friend.
JW said 2:20PM on 7-22-2009
Michael: Agreed! Also, technically driving is not a right, it's a privilege.
Quix said 2:20PM on 7-22-2009
Sorry Kyle, your "liberties" don't allow you to endanger me or my family while on public roads. Keep your stupidity to the privacy of you own home. Thanks.
Murphy Mac said 2:54PM on 7-22-2009
As a pedestrian on the sidewalk I was struck by someone talking on the phone exiting a restaurant - and knocked out into a busy road. She stuck her head out the window and said, "Did I hit you?" with the phone still glued to her ear. She never saw me until I bounced off her front bumper.
If a car had been coming down the road I would been killed.
I agree with everyone regarding Kyle's short-sighted view. I view other drivers using the phone as the threat most likely to kill me. There's too many of them.
Ken Cohen said 1:01PM on 7-22-2009
I never talk on the phone while driving. The most I’ll do is read TUAW at red lights.... :-)
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Zcott said 1:12PM on 7-22-2009
Thankfully, in the UK, texting or calling when driving (without a headset) gets you a nasty fine and some penalty points on your licence.
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colouroflight said 3:33PM on 7-22-2009
You guys really like your nanny state over there, don't you?
VanillaSpice said 11:16PM on 7-22-2009
No, we like staying alive. For the record, texting, and calling without a hands-free set, while driving is also an offence down under and anywhere else people are smart enough to realise that "my rights" do not include "my right to kill other people unnecessarily". After all, that would impede on *their* right not to be endangered by the stupidity of others. It is funny how the people who go on about "rights" and "nanny states" forget that other people have rights, too - it is not just about you.
Mark said 1:24PM on 7-22-2009
Is this post really about how to use Vibrate Mode on the iPhone? Really? Really TUAW? Really?
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MJZimmer88 said 1:43PM on 7-22-2009
I'm glad I'm not the only person to have this very concern.
(... the fact that this makes the news... not the whole texting while driving "issue." There should probably just be a law "don't be stupid"... but then the stupid politicians would argue about how to save their own backs)
Aaron said 1:30PM on 7-22-2009
Or, you could just learn to ignore the rings and such until you are in a safe place to answer. I guess I am not as hardwired to answer calls as some people though.
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Byrdman said 7:25PM on 7-22-2009
Thank You!! You do not need to use airplane mode everytime you get into a car. Thats just stupid. Just dont answer the phone. Its very simple.
erik.gomez09 said 1:35PM on 7-22-2009
What are we babies??? Everyone should know how to use the airplane mode function...especially the switch that makes the ringer go silent. If that's not the case go get a jitterbug.
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Orion said 1:39PM on 7-22-2009
Stay tuned for TUAW's next article: "How to use the Home button".
I'm usually the one defending you guys, but common.. this was an embarrassing read.
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colouroflight said 1:41PM on 7-22-2009
Penn should know better. The study is, as he would say, bullshit.
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