A new feature built into Apple's upcoming iOS 11 can detect when an iPhone user is travelling in a moving vehicle and block their notifications.
The feature, which the tech giant is calling "Do Not Disturb While Driving," will be part of the operating system coming this fall.
Apple made the announcement at its Worldwide Developers Conference which began in San Jose, Calif. on Monday.
CEO Tim Cook said the idea builds on its "Do Not Disturb" mode, a feature currently available on Apple products. When turned on, it can detect when a user is in a moving vehicle and stop notifications from popping up.
It will also send a message to whoever is texting or calling, letting them know the iPhone user is driving and can't respond. It's designed so that passengers can disable it.
A local clinical psychologist said the new feature is a good starting point.
"We're sending the message that this is something we shouldn't be doing, using our mobile devices while driving," Joti Samra told CTV News.
But she's not sure it's the answer to the dangerous problem.
"There's a big question mark there… The reality is many people have such a hard time disconnecting from their phones because it's such quick, easy and sometimes reinforcing feedback you get."
Distracted driving is the cause of one-in-four crashes in British Columbia, according to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. About two of every five B.C. drivers surveyed in a study last year admitted to using their phone while driving.
ICBC says drivers are five times more likely to be in a crash if they're using their smartphone, and that an average of 78 people die each year in B.C. in crashes where distracted driving is a factor.
Fines for a distracted driving violation more than doubled last summer, costing those caught in the act $368 upon conviction. Motorists also get three or four penalties to their driving record, and a first infraction means they have to pay a $175 premium to ICBC.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Michele Brunoro
Distracted driving in B.C. (ICBC)
