Hands-free technology in the car doesn’t mean distraction-free. Surprising new research finds that potentially unsafe mental distractions can persist for as long as 27 seconds after dialing, changing music, or sending a text using voice commands, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The results raise new concerns regarding the use of phones and vehicle information systems while driving. This research represents the third phase of the Foundation’s comprehensive investigation into cognitive distraction, which shows that new hands-free technologies can mentally distract drivers even if their eyes are on the road and their hands are on the wheel.
“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 show that motorists could miss stop signs, pedestrians and other vehicles while the mind is readjusting to the task of driving.”
Findings
Researchers found that unsafe levels of mental distraction can last for as long as 27 seconds after completing a distracting task in the worst-performing systems studied. At the 25 MPH speed limit in the study, drivers traveled the length of nearly three football fields during this time. When using the least distracting systems, drivers remained impaired for more than 15 seconds after completing a task.
New Jerseyans Underestimate Length of Mental Distractions
In a separate telephone survey of New Jersey drivers conducted by Public Policy Polling for AAA Mid-Atlantic between Oct 9 – 12; 68 percent of respondents said they believe a driver’s brain is only distracted for up to 10 seconds when completing an in-vehicle task like tuning the radio or dialing a phone while driving. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
“Drivers need to be especially careful even when using voice-activated systems, and even when stopped at a red light,” said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “The reality is that mental distractions can affect driver attention far longer than they realize.”
The researchers in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study discovered the residual effects of mental distraction while comparing new hands-free technologies in ten 2015 vehicles and three types of smart phones. The analysis found that all systems studied increased mental distraction to potentially unsafe levels. The systems that performed best generally had fewer errors, required less time on task, and were relatively easy to use.
The researchers rated mental distraction on a five-point scale. Category 1 represents a mild level of distraction and Category 5 represents the maximum. AAA considers a mental distraction rating of two and higher to be potentially dangerous while driving.
Chevy Equinox Outperforms Mazda 6; Google Now Bests Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri
The best performing system was the Chevy Equinox with a cognitive distraction rating of 2.4, while the worst performing system was the Mazda 6 with a cognitive distraction rating of 4.6. Among phone systems, Google Now performed best with a distraction rating of 3.0, while Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana earned ratings of 3.4 and 3.8. Using the phones to send texts significantly increased the level of mental distraction. While sending voice-activated texts, Google Now rated as a category 3.3 distraction, while Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana rated as category 3.7 and category 4.1 distractions, respectively.
“The rapid growth of voice-activated technologies in cars represents a growing – and not yet fully recognized — safety problem for drivers,” continued Noble. “We are concerned that these new systems may invite driver distraction, even as overwhelming scientific evidence concludes that hands-free is not risk free.”
New Jerseyans Think Voice-Activated Technology is Less Distracting
Over half of New Jersey respondents (57 percent) in the AAA Mid-Atlantic survey think voice-activated, hands-free technology is less distracting than using hand-held cell phones. However, as the Strayer results show; hands-free is not risk free.
In New Jersey, 94 percent of respondents said they believe other drivers are very distracted or somewhat distracted when using either a hand-held phone or a hands-free device to talk or text. Despite this overwhelming number, only 38 percent of respondents in New Jersey admitted to using a voice-activated technology to make a phone call, send a text message or change radio stations while driving in the last six months.
Previous AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research established that a Category 1 mental distraction is similar to listening to the radio or an audio book. A Category 2 distraction is comparable to talking on the phone, while Category 3 is equivalent to sending voice-activated texts on a perfect, error-free system. Category 4 is similar to updating social media while driving, while Category 5 corresponds to a highly-challenging, scientific test designed to overload a driver’s attention.
“Developers should aim to reduce mental distractions by designing systems that are no more demanding than listening to the radio or an audiobook,” continued Noble. “Given that the impairing effects of distraction may last much longer than people realize, AAA advises consumers to use caution when interacting with these technologies while behind the wheel.”
Dr. David Strayer and Dr. Joel Cooper of the University of Utah conducted the research. A total of 257 drivers ages 21-70 participated in the study of 2015 model-year vehicles, while 65 additional drivers ages 21-68 tested the three phone systems.
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