A lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against Apple (but also Samsung, Google, and Microsoft) demands that the companies bankroll a billion dollar programme to educate drivers about the dangers of using smartwatches while driving.

The Coalition Against Distracted Driving(CADD)'a Stephen Joseph filed the complaint on April 18.

Joseph is "acting in this case in the public interest" while recognizing "potential injury to himself caused by the possibility of being hit by a driver who cannot see the road because he or she is using a smartphone or smartwatch," the suit states.

Driving while using smartphones is dangerous and smartwatches can be more dangerous, reports the lawsuit.

Looking at notifications from smartwatches "creates a far greater distraction than smartphones" because it is more difficult to ignore notifications, given that the device is strapped to one's wrist, the suit states. The temptation to view the notifications is "irresistible" and while looking at smartwatch "the road becomes invisible to the driver."

The $1 billion cost of a national education program, "is a tiny fraction of profits that defendants receive from the sale of smartphones and smartwatches," the suit states.

The suit argues that smartwatches with smartphones are nuisance while driving and the companies fail to issue warnings. A new ruling found that nuisance cases could be brought "to make such criminal activity ... less likely through the imposition of operating conditions."