Using hands-free devices to talk, text or send e-mail while
driving is distracting and risky, contrary to what many people believe, says a
new University of Utah study issued today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety.
“Our research shows that hands-free is not risk-free,” says
University of Utah psychology Professor David Strayer, lead author of the
study, which he conducted for the foundation arm of the nonprofit AAA, formerly
known as the American Automobile Association.
“These new, speech-based technologies in the car can
overload the driver’s attention and impair their ability to drive safely,” says
Strayer. “An unintended consequence of trying to make driving safer – by moving
to speech-to-text, in-vehicle systems – may actually overload the driver and
make them less safe.”