By Michele Walsky | Assistant Editor
Photo by Brianna Stevens
“At least nine drivers are killed every day because of a distracted driver,” claims the Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) website. Distractions for drivers’ have varied since the invention of the wheel—horses, conversations, billboards, radios, built-in car phones, then iPods and cell phones. Technology may be partly to blame, but it is also attempting to solve the problem.
Apple’s “Do Not Disturb While Driving” app was unveiled on September 19th. According to the company website, the app allows the updated operating system, iOS 11, to run in the background and detect when the operator is driving.
The screen blacks-out, blocking texts, calls and also push notifications from games and social media, something other apps may not do, the website explained. Music and navigation still function and drivers can set up preferences to allow for emergency break-through calls. Parents can also set controls for their teensl.
In a survey of 88 Mount Wachusett students, 43 percent reported being “serene and scenic” drivers, while 18 percent put safety first and 30 percent were self-proclaimed Speed Racers. A wedge of 9 percent said it depended on the situation.
44 percent of students admitted they do not watch the road, compared to 41 percent who do. 15 percent paid attention sometimes. The graph below shows what habits take place in cars.