Study Says Using Voice Control Commands Is More Distracting Than The Systems They Replace

Car companies have turned to voice controls to cut down on distracted driving.

But systems such as Apple Inc.’s Siri electronic assistant, which automakers started installing in vehicles in 2013, may be as mentally taxing as the buttons and knobs they replace, research released today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests.

For the AAA-commissioned experiments, conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, test subjects in a driving simulator used Siri to send text messages, post updates on Facebook and modify their calendar appointments.

Sciros - 10/7/2014 9:36:39 AM

+1 Boost

This should have been crystal clear from the start. Testing whether these systems have a benefit to them is something I would expect performed PRIOR TO RELEASE. No surprise, of course, that it wasn't. I have several people saved to a single-touch speed dial on my phone and it's ten times less of a pain and less time consuming than having to deal with the disaster that is my Forester XT's voice commands.

carsnyc - 10/7/2014 1:13:53 PM

+1 Boost

Saw this one coming.

HoustonMidtown - 10/7/2014 1:17:09 PM

+2 Boost

People don't need to be updating Facebook, making calendar entries, etc while driving....