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A new study conducted by AAA says that although hands-free options were created in part as a way to keep drivers safer on the roads, they may be falling short and in worst-case scenarios may be actually making the roads more dangerous. Safer roads obviously lead to fewer crashes and accidents. Consult with an experienced Michigan injury attorney if you have suffered personal injuries in any type of motor vehicle accident.
Michigan Injury Attorney Discusses Study Results
Hands-free technology has been marketed as safe to use and as a better alternative to utilizing a handheld phone while driving, but a recent study from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that many of these features might actually be increasing mental distractions.
The foundation used specific test vehicles, heart-rate monitors and other types of equipment to measure reaction times of drivers. According to AAA, the study showed three main results:
- The accuracy of the voice recognition systems had a significant influence on how distracted a driver was while operating a vehicle. Those with the least accuracy and reliability caused the most problems and were listed as a category 3 distraction.
- Creating text messages and emails using those technologies was more distracting than listening to messages and was rated as a category 2 distraction.
- The quality of the computer’s voices had no impact on distraction levels
Apple’s Siri system, included with many iPhones was recorded as having the highest distractions among the systems available was rated a category 4 distraction.
To further put this in perspective, AAA’s rating system put tasks at a cognitive distraction rating between a category 1 (the lowest) and a category 4 distraction rating. According to their previous study conducted last year, a task such as listening to the radio was rated category 1, talking on a hand-held or hands-free device was a category 2 and using error-free speech recognition software was rated a category 3.
If you or your loved one has suffered serious injuries in any type of motor vehicle accident, it is important to discuss your case with a Michigan injury attorney. Call today for your free, initial consultation.
Struck by a distracted driver? Contact a Michigan Injury Attorney
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