Canadian Woman Found Guilty of Distracted Driving for Looking at Her Apple Watch

Drivers have been known to glance at their wristwatches from time to time while on the road in order to check the time. Unfortunately, a woman in Canada has just learned that there are consequences for the practice, with a judge finding her guilty of driving while distracted. Then again, she was wearing an Apple Watch, which might have contributed to the verdict.

During the trial, the defendant, Victoria Ambrose, claimed that she was simply checking the time when she was caught looking at the smartwatch. She was referring to the incident that occurred in April, when an officer reportedly caught her looking at the device a little too long while sitting at a red light, Gizmodo reports.

The officer then pulled her over and gave her a ticket. At least, this was the short version of the story and one that both parties agreed on. The events that came before that, however, are where the differences in the stories come in.

According to the police officer, Ambrose checked the device several times while waiting for the light to turn green. When it did, it would seem that the driver did not immediately proceed and it took the officer shining a light on her vehicle just to grab her attention.

The ticket was apparently for her violation of the Highway Traffic Act, which prohibits drivers from ‘holding or using a handheld wireless communication device” while driving.

Ambrose argued in court that this particular law did not apply to her because she was simply checking the time on her Apple Watch when she was given the ticket, 9to5Mac reports. It would appear that the judge presiding over the case, Justice of Peace Lloyd Phillipps, did not come to the same conclusion and found her guilty. So now, she needs to pay $400 for the ticket.