A new research revealed that hands-free systems – Apple’s Siri, GM’s MyLink and Ford’s Sync – are distracting drivers.
Conducted by The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the research says that even though these hands-free technologies are designed to be less distracting, they may actually have the opposite effect.
It is possible to design hands-free technologies that keep drivers’ attention more focused on the road, according to the Foundation.
According to AAA, developers need to address contributing factors to mental distraction including complexity, accuracy and time to complete a task.
AAA CEO Bob Darbelnet said “it is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today’s imperfect systems can lead to driver distraction. … AAA is confident that it will be possible to make safer systems in the future.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS) is planning to address voice-activated systems by unveiling future guidelines to automakers.
Source: The Detroit News
