Man fined for using Apple Watch while driving

 

Doug Bolton
Saturday 30 May 2015 13:20 BST
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Quebec Police said that using the watch while driving is an offence, as it is capable of making calls.
Quebec Police said that using the watch while driving is an offence, as it is capable of making calls.

A man in Canada has been fined for using his Apple Watch while driving, with police saying that using the device is no different to using a mobile phone.

Jeffery Macesin was using his new smartwatch, which was released to the public in the UK on 24 April, to change the music he was listening to while driving in Quebec.

Quebec Police pulled him over, and he was given four points on his licence and a fine of $120, around £63.

The Quebec Highway Safety Code prohibits drivers from using a hand-held device that includes a telephone function while on the move - since it's possible to telephone people with the Apple Watch, it falls under this law.

However, Macesin says that he hasn't broken any law - speaking to CTV News Montreal, he said: "It's not so much hand-held, it's a watch."

"It's on my wrist - and that's where it gets controversial. Is it, or is it not [hand-held]? I think this needs to be talked about."

The watch seems to be in a grey area in Quebec, and in other jurisdictions too - including the UK.

The watch connects to a user's iPhone via bluetooth, with calls being made via loudspeaker. In this respect, it functions like a bluetooth headset, which are legal to use while driving.

Since the watch was only released recently and no similar cases have occurred before, the legal decision on the watch's status is unknown.

However, as smartwatches become more popular, numbers of similar cases are likely to increase.

Macesin is contesting the ticket, and is considering talking to a lawyer to fight his case.

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