Apple had patented a technology that locks phones of people while driving

A Texas woman Ashley Kubiak was checking her iPhone while driving a Dodge Ram truck. The result- it hit a SUV on the highway killing the driver, a passenger while another kid was paralysed.

This was some 4 years back. In the US court, the victims’ counsel has informed the court that Apple has a technology that lock a person’s phone while driving. According to the New York Times, Apple has filed a patent in 2008 and granted in 2014 for technology that would "lock out" a driver's phone by using sensors to determine if the phone was moving and in use by a driver. If so, it would prevent certain functions, like texting.

In the patent, Apple says such technology is necessary because: "Texting while driving has become so widespread that it is doubtful that law enforcement will have any significant effect on stopping the practice," and "Teens understand that texting while driving is dangerous, but this is often not enough motivation to end the practice."

Here comes the big question, then why isn’t Apple using it?
Phone makers like Apple, Verizon, AT&T and other companies are aware of distracted driving habit of the drivers while using their phones. "The technology exists; we just don't have the stomach to implement it," Deborah Hersman, the president of the National Safety Council and the former chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the NYT.

"Technology got us into this situation. Technology will get us out," she said. However, she added, "We're so afraid to tell people what they should do that you can kind of get away with murder under these conditions."

Here’s the phone maker’s response.
Generally, companies have taken the position that text-blocking technology is embryonic and unreliable. They argue that they cannot shut down a driver's service without the potential of mistakenly shutting off a passenger's phone or that of someone riding on a train or bus.