If you rely on Siri while driving home in bumper to bumper traffic, you may want to think again.
In a newly published study completed for AAA, car infotainment systems are implicated in distracting drivers and even the least complicated systems impair drivers. With promises of safety from car manufacturers and some technology companies, the reality is that they are potentially dangerous.
Distractions Even After Disengagement
While it is true that drivers may be able to keep their hands on the steering wheel, this does not mean car infotainment systems are safe. Conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, the study provided analysis of different car infotainment systems from 2015 year vehicles.
What researchers found was that the most distracting system can remove drivers attention from the road for up to 27 seconds after disengaging from the system. This is the equivalent of three football fields if the car is moving at 25 miles per hour.
In less complicated systems, drivers are affected for a minimum of 15 seconds and older drivers were more affected than younger drivers by the systems.
According to the study, the most distracting system is the Mazda6. Next are Microsoft’s Cortana and Apples Siri. The most intuitive system was Google Now.
Even when drivers use proper commands, the systems do not necessarily understand the drivers requests. Car infotainment systems are typically rigid and require users to perform specific voice commands to accomplish certain tasks.
In the future, AAA will perform additional studies that compare car infotainment systems with traditional systems that require drivers to look down at the dashboard and use hands to operate the systems. Regardless of what type of system, they create mental distractions, which could be potentially dangerous while on the highway.
If you were in a car accident and sustained serious injuries due to another drivers negligence, contact a personal injury lawyer in Windsor at Greg Monforton & Partners. Call (866) 320-4770 today to schedule your free legal consultation.