I think it’s more that Apple has to follow the laws of the land and could get into some very hot water if they “encouraged” distracted driving by allowing it.
The big problem with letting the user decide to do something like this is that distracted driving doesn’t affect just you, but everyone around you. There’s a reason drunk driving is illegal: you’re a danger to others on the road. Hence why being a drunk passenger is fine; you’re not a danger to the other drivers on the road.
So, should Apple be restricting what the user can do with their device? Depends on who you ask. But when it comes to distracted driving, it’s pretty well agreed that it’s wrong.
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Now, if you still want to watch YouTube while driving, you actually can. Just load up the YouTube app on your phone and hit play. They don’t stop you. Apple just won’t let you put it on your car’s screen.
I understand Apple's likely concerns about encouraging distracted driving. As a cyclist and motorcyclist I take distracted driving seriously and don't actually watch youtube videos while driving (just listen).
My issue with this argument though is that the cat is already out of the bag- by blocking youtube on a larger screen, and similarly not allowing Siri to play youtube via voice commands Apple may claim they are doing it for safety, but in reality all is does is make people manually fiddle with their phone or watch a video on a smaller screen. I just don't believe there is any real world safety benefit to the paternalistic blocking.
I used to put my iPad on the passenger dash at night and watch a movie on the windshield while I drove. I was driving across the country, for many hours a day. The trick is not to focus on the movie unless something is happening that requires being looked at (hinted by the music).
This kept me awake, and I’d hardly have called it a distraction unless you would rather me pass out at the wheel.
The “correct” course of action if you’re dozing off while driving is to pull off the road and go to sleep. If you’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s bound to be a truck stop on the side somewhere. Studies have shown that driving drowsy is the same as or even worse than driving drunk.