Voice-Activation In Cars Can Be Dangerous, Studies Say

Two new studies have found that voice-activated smartphones and dashboard infotainment systems may be making the distracted-driving problem worse instead of better.

The systems let drivers do things like tune the radio, send a text message, or make a phone call while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. However, many of these systems are so error-prone or complex that they require more concentration from drivers rather than less, according to studies released on October 7 by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Utah.

One study examined infotainment systems in some of the most common auto brands on the road: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, and Mercedes. The second study tested the Apple iPhone's Siri voice system to navigate, send texts, make Facebook and Twitter posts, and use the calendar without handling or looking at the phone. Apple and Google are working with automakers to mesh smartphones with infotainment systems so that drivers can bring their apps, navigation, and music files into their cars.

The voice-activated systems were graded on a distraction scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing no distraction and 5 comparable to doing complex math problems and word memorization. The systems were tested by 162 university students and other volunteers in three settings: a laboratory, a driving simulator, and in cars while driving through a Salt Lake City neighborhood.

Apple's Siri received the worst rating, 4.14. Twice test drivers using Siri in a driving simulator rear-ended another car. Chevrolet's MyLink received the worst rating, 3.7, among the infotainment systems. Infotainment systems from three other automakers — Mercedes, Ford, and Chrysler — also were rated more distracting for drivers than simply talking on a hand-held cellphone.

The systems with the worst ratings were those that made errors even though drivers' voice commands were clear and distinct. Drivers had to concentrate on exactly what words they wanted to use and in what order to get the systems to follow their commands, creating a great deal of frustration.

Siri sometimes garbled text messages or selected wrong phone numbers from personal phonebooks. During one test, Siri called 911 instead of the phone number requested by the volunteer driver and the driver had to scramble to end the call before it went through. Siri found the number in the driver's phonebook because the driver had called it once before.

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