Hands-Free Technology Still Distracting After You're Done Using It: Study
Hands-free technologies were designed to help keep drivers safe, but it could still be a distraction.
A recent study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that potentially unsafe mental distractions can persist for as long as 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text using voice commands. The study shows that new hands-free technologies can mentally distract drivers even if their eyes are on the road and their hands are on the steering wheel.
In the case of a 27-second long distraction, drivers going 25 mph could travel the length of nearly three football fields in that time. When using the least distracting systems, drivers were still impaired for more than 15 seconds after completing a task.
SEE ALSO: Distracted Driving Prevalent in Teen Crashes
To determine these results, researchers compared new hands-free technologies in 10 vehicles from the 2015 model year along with three types of smartphones. All the systems studied showed increased mental distraction to potentially unsafe levels.
The best-performing system was in the Chevrolet Equinox, having a cognitive distraction rating of 2.4. The worst-performing system was found in the Mazda6, scoring a cognitive distraction rating of 4.6. Among smartphones, Google Now performed the best with a distraction rating of 3.0 while Apple Siri scored 3.4 and Microsoft’s Cortana was worst with a 3.8 rating.
“The lasting effects of mental distraction pose a hidden and pervasive danger that would likely come as a surprise to most drivers,” said Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The results indicate that motorists could miss stop signs, pedestrians and other vehicles while the mind is readjusting to the task of driving.”
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
More by Jason Siu
Comments
Join the conversation
This is something really interesting that is worth paying your attention right now,a superb online opportunity to work for those people who want to use their free time so that they can make some extra money using their computers... I have been working on this for last two and half years and I am earning 60-90 dollar/ hour In the past week I have earned 13,70 dollars for almost 20 hours sitting . Specific qualification, degree or skills is not necessary for this, just keyboard typing and a good working and reliable internet connection . Any Time limitations or boundations to start work is not required You may do this work at any time when you willing to do it . How I have been doing this?......see this (site-Iink) on my !profile!` to know how I am working` on this` #c3e