Voiceactivated applications that
let drivers keep their hands on the wheel were supposed to be an
antidote to distracted driving, but new research into the cause of
3,300 traffic deaths and 420,000 injuries each year says they can be a
significant distraction too.
The applications can be more distracting than either handheld or
hands-free cellphone use, according to research presented recently by
the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Now available in almost all new vehicles, the apps let drivers speak
commands to make calls, send text messages, change music selections,
enter GPS destinations and control interior temperature.
The more complex and error-prone systems frustrated and distracted drivers.
"As workload goes up, cognitive distraction goes up," said foundation president Peter Kissinger.
"That suppresses brain activity, it slows reaction time and it
decreases visual scanning and we start missing cues in the driving
process, and all of that increases risk of a crash."
The foundation's research is not the first to delve into how the
brain responds to different challenges while the driver attempts to
negotiate traffic, but it is among the first to examine the
applications devised to address distracted driving.
Half a dozen years ago, as concern grew about distracted driving,
research on the topic was in its nascent stage. But since then, the
studies have piled to a lofty stack, and virtually all of them have
drawn a similar conclusion: Safe driving requires strict attention to
the road. Distractions of any sort put people at risk.
The new AAA Foundation study, its second in as many years, is among
the most sophisticated to date to document the cause of various levels
of distraction. Last year's research laid the groundwork, concluding
that voice-based systems "may have unintended consequences that
adversely affect traffic safety".
The report confirmed that by testing the level of distraction caused
by several factory-installed voice systems and the popular Siri system
offered on Apple iPhones.
It used a relatively simple grading system. Level 1 was minimal
distraction - listening to the radio or books on tape. Level 2 was
moderate distraction - talking on a handheld or hands-free cellphone.
Levels 3 and 4 were a high level of distraction.
The foundation's research last year already had determined that
voiceactivated applications rated a hair above Level 3, while
hands-free conversation was closer to Level 2 and handheld ranked
between levels 2 and 3.
Talking to a passenger came in at about 2.4, books on tape fell at
about 1.8, listening to the radio at 1.2. The iPhone's Siri ranked
above 4.
