A new class-action lawsuit filed in California earlier this week aims to hold Apple accountable for a number of automobile accidents caused by drivers getting distracted by their iPhones. The folks behind lawsuit are hoping to force the company to install a new safety feature on its devices to prevent users from texting while they are driving.
According to the suit, Apple has possessed the technology required to implement such a feature since 2008, and was granted a patent for it in 2014. The suit alleges that the company has refused to employ the technology out of fear that doing so would cost it market share.
The complaint is seeking an injunction that would halt the sale of all iPhones in the state of California that do not come with such a lock-out feature, as well as a court order forcing Apple to immediately update all iPhones currently on the market to install the feature.
Worse Than Driving Drunk
The suit was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, January 17, by MLG Automotive Law, on behalf of Julio Ceja, a California resident whose car was struck from behind while stopped at a stoplight, by a driver who was distracted while using her iPhone.
“It has migrated from a menacing problem to a full-blown epidemic of national importance: texting and driving is the single most deadly thing one can do behind the wheel of an automobile,” the lawsuit noted. According to the complaint, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has said that texting and driving is six times more dangerous than drinking and driving.
“In a recent study conducted by the NHTSA, it was concluded that drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds when sending or receiving a text.” The suit added that…