A class action lawsuit filed in California is seeking to force Apple into creating a feature that would lock users out of their iPhone when behind the wheel in order to prevent drivers from texting or using their device while driving.

The suit, filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court by MLG Automotive Law, claims Apple has been in possession of technology to add a driver lock to its products since 2008 but has chosen not to implement it.

According to the suit, Apple has chosen not to add the feature to its devices "over concerns that it will lose market share to other phone-makers who do not limit consumer use." If successful, the suit would require Apple to halt all sales of iPhones in California until a lock-out feature is introduced.

The claim that Apple has already created driver lock-out technology appears to stem from a patent granted to Apple in 2014 and first filed in 2008. The patent describes a mechanism that would “disable the ability of a handheld computing device to perform certain functions, such as texting, while one is driving.”

Many patents are for concepts and not existing technology, and often times are never fully realized. For example, no one is peddling around on an Apple Smart Bike at the moment, despite the company patenting such an idea back in 2010.

The plaintiff on the suit against Apple is identified as Julio Ceja of Costa Mesa, Calif. Ceja was involved in a car accident in which his car was hit from behind by another driver who was reportedly using her iPhone at the time of the crash.

The suit points to data from the California Highway Patrol and the Federal Highway Administration to claim the iPhone is responsible for 52,000 car accidents each year in California, including 312 deaths annually.

The plaintiff’s counsel also noted the U.S. Department of Transportation's claims that 1.5 million people are texting and driving on public roads at any given moment. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting and driving is six times as dangerous as driving while drunk.

"The relationship consumers have with their phones is just too great, and the ability to slide under the eye of the law is just too easy. Embedding lock-out devices is the only solution,” MLG Automotive Law founding member Jonathan Michaels said in a statement.

Earlier this month, a Texas couple sued Apple for a crash that resulted in the death of their 5-year-old daughter caused by a driver who was using Apple’s FaceTime app while driving.

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