Distracted Driving Lasts Longer Than You Think
(WDEF) – Triple A releases their latest findings on distracted driving.
They found that mental distractions can last up to 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text with voice commands.
“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 indicate that motorists could miss stop signs, pedestrians and other vehicles while the mind is readjusting to the task of driving.”
The researchers wired up test subjects to grade new hands-free technologies in ten 2015 vehicles and three types of smart phones.
The devices fell on their scale between talking on the phone (2) to updating social media (4).
They consider anything over a 2 to be potentially dangerous.
All the hands free devices scored between 2.4 and 4.6.
The Chevy Equinox scored the best, while the Mazda 6 tech system was the worst (see the chart).
The Volkswagen Passat landed right in the middle.
The best voice-activated text service was Google Now at 3.3.
Apple’s Sire and Microsoft Cortana were higher distractions.
The study concludes that these systems aren’t making us safer.
“The massive increase in voice-activated technologies in cars and phones represents a growing safety problem for drivers,” continued Doney. “We are concerned that these new systems may invite driver distraction, even as overwhelming scientific evidence concludes that hands-free is not risk free.”
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