A woman from Ontario, Canada was found guilty of distracted driving for checking the time on her Apple Watch while her vehicle was stopped at a red light.
There are many stories on how the Apple Watch saves lives, but there are also reports of Apple Watch distraction incidents. This is one of them, and fortunately, it did not result in any injuries.
Woman Arrested Due To Apple Watch
Victoria Ambrose was behind the wheel of a vehicle that was stopped at a red light when a police officer, who was beside her in his cruiser, noticed that there was a glow from an electronic device.
According to the police officer, Ambrose looked up and down at the electronic device about four times. When the light turned green, the two cars in front of her moved forward, but she remained stationary. Ambrose did not move her vehicle until the officer shone a light into her vehicle.
The police officer requested for Ambrose to pull over and issued her a ticket, on the offense of distracted driving. According to Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, driving "while holding or using a handheld wireless communication device" is prohibited.
In court, Ambrose argued that the distracted driving law should not have applied to her, as she was simply checking the time on her Apple Watch. She added that the Apple Watch should be counted as a mounted device, which is allowed by the law, as opposed to a mobile device.
Justice of the Peace Lloyd Phillipps, however, rejected the testimony, because checking the time only requires a single moment, and not multiple glances like the police officer noted. Phillipps also said that the Apple Watch offers the same distraction as a mobile phone that is taped to somebody's wrist.
The factor that decided the case, however, was the effect of the technology on Ambrose. Phillipps determined that Ambrose was distracted by the Apple Watch, which is why she did not move her vehicle once the light turned green.
Apple Watch Also Saves Lives
Not all Apple Watch reports end up in legal trouble though. Some stories show how the Apple Watch is saving the lives of its wearers.
Just in May alone, Tech Times reported three cases of the Apple Watch saving lives. The Apple Watch revealed that a teenager was suffering from a chronic kidney disease, alerted a man to receive medical attention for a ruptured ulcer, and informed a man about a potential heart condition.
