Think Using That Hands Free System In The Car Is Safe? Think Again.
By Jim Melwert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- New research says many of the new popular features on hands free devices may actually increase distraction.
A big cause of that distraction, according to research from the AAA foundation for traffic safety, is imperfect voice recognition systems.
The study measures distractions on a scale of 1-to-5, a level-one distraction is listening to the radio while driving. A five is balancing your checkbook. No surprise, it finds the worse a voice recognition system is, the more dangerous it is. While level three is considered deadly, for an example, the study rated using the popular Siri system on an iPhone as a four.
"Your reaction time's slowed, you're more likely to miss red lights, stops signs or someone crossing a crosswalk," says AAA safety director Jake Nelson.
He says distracted driving causes 3,000 deadly crashes each year, and hopes this encourages drivers to put down the phones, and companies to design better systems.