Hands-Free Distraction

As the city in which I reside – Austin, Texas – gets ready for a new law to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2015, banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, I have been contemplating an investment in a blue-tooth enabled device to use while driving.

While I’m fortunate not to commute – telecommute is a blessing in Austin traffic – I do occasionally use a hand-held cell phone while driving. But it is a distraction; one that the insurance industry keenly understands.

But are hands-free cell phones really better to use than hand-held cellphones while driving?

While three out of four drivers believe hands-free technology is safe to use, one study shows they might actually increase mental distraction.

According to new research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drivers using hands-free, voice-controlled infotainment systems in vehicles can distract drivers more than was previously believed.

“We already know that drivers can miss stop signs, pedestrians and other cars while using voice technologies because their minds are not fully focused on the road ahead,” said Bob Darbelnet, CEO of AAA. “We now understand that current shortcomings in these products, intended as safety features, may unintentionally cause greater levels of cognitive distraction.”

The study’s results show:

• The accuracy of voice recognition software significantly influences the rate of distraction. Systems with low accuracy and reliability generated a high level (category 3) of distraction.
• Composing text messages and emails using in-vehicle technologies (category 3) was more distracting than using these systems to listen to messages (category 2).
• The quality of the systems’ voice had no impact on distraction levels – listening to a natural or synthetic voice both rated as a category 2 level of distraction.

The study also assessed Apple’s Siri (version iOS 7) using insight obtained from Apple about Siri’s functionality. The research uncovered that hands- and eyes-free use of Apple’s Siri generated a high category 4 level of mental distraction.

When thinking about distraction consider that last year’s AAA research revealed listening to the radio only rated as a category 1 distraction. Talking on a hand-held or hands-free cell phone resulted in a category 2 and using an error-free speech-to-text system to listen to and compose emails or texts was a category 3 distraction.

To view the full report, “Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Vehicle II: Assessing In-Vehicle Voice-based Interactive Technologies,” and other materials on distracted driving, visit NewsRoom.AAA.com.