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posted by CoolHand on Sunday October 25 2015, @11:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the hardly-surprising dept.

If you think it is okay to talk to your car infotainment system or smartphone while driving or even when stopped at a red light, think again. It takes up to 27 seconds to regain full attention after issuing voice commands, University of Utah researchers found in a pair of new studies for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

One of the studies showed that it is highly distracting to use hands-free voice commands to dial phone numbers, call contacts, change music and send texts with Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri and Google Now smartphone personal assistants, though Google Now was a bit less distracting than the others.

The other study examined voice-dialing, voice-contact calling and music selection using in-vehicle information or "infotainment" systems in 10 model-year 2015 vehicles. Three were rated as moderately distracting, six as highly distracting and the system in the 2015 Mazda 6 as very highly distracting.

"Just because these systems are in the car doesn't mean it's a good idea to use them while you are driving," says University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer, senior author of the two new studies. "They are very distracting, very error prone and very frustrating to use. Far too many people are dying because of distraction on the roadway, and putting another source of distraction at the fingertips of drivers is not a good idea. It's better not to use them when you are driving."


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday October 26 2015, @08:37AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 26 2015, @08:37AM (#254583) Journal

    I can't help wondering just what your level of awareness is while you drive. The vast majority of "drivers" on the road are sadly lacking in awareness. People often look at the trunk/tailgate and rear window of the car ahead of them, and that's all they see for minutes at a time. Cars changing lanes ahead and behind are very peripheral, if noticed at all. If you are one of those people, then yeah, maybe you are can switch modes between texting and driving in less time than the study indicates.

    Funny thing, I've never seen a motorcycle rider fiddling around with a cell phone while riding. A rider's level of awareness is almost always far higher than someone driving a cage. A rider is looking over the car ahead, he's looking over the car behind, he's intensely aware of vehicles changing lanes, he is watching parked cars, cross traffic, he's aware of what is loaded on the trucks near him, and so much more.

    Truck drivers generally have a pretty high situational awareness, though they often fall short of motorcyclists. They see an entirely different world than most motorists. Any good truck driver is using his mirrors as much as a motorcyclist - he KNOWS what is behind him, and beside him.

    The typical motorist just doesn't give a damn. He's inside of a cage, protected from the elements, protected from noises, listening to the stereo, and actively searching for distractions from his long, boring drive.

    As a motorcyclist, AND a truckdriver, I am perfectly aware that it DOES TAKE TIME to shift mental gears. Distractions are - well - DISTRACTING! Glancing at a billboard with a scantily clad female has meant losing track of the fast moving car coming up from behind. Eyeballing the nearly naked female passing on the left can mean not noticing the cop in the median until it's to late to slow down. (NOTE: most cops will let the girl in the family car pass by 20 mile over the speed limit, to nail either a truck or motorcycle going 15 mph over)

    What IS your situational awareness like? Can you survive a day on the road, with a target painted on you, and every damned fool with a key actively trying to kill you? If not - then maybe you're not qualified to judge what a proper level of awareness is.

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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 26 2015, @10:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 26 2015, @10:47PM (#254916)

    This! I'm a former motorcyclist who survived being hit by a woman who ran a stop sign while distracted. My situational awareness was outstanding compared to most drivers. It was literally a skill that I worked on constantly. But it didn't matter because I didn't see it coming until it was too late to react. These days I'm just a regular driver but I still use those same skills. Last year I put one of the kids through drivers ed but I used a private company rather than the school. She did very well and scored high on the tests but I felt she still wasn't as road aware as she needed to be. We talked about it a lot and I ended up teaching her how to think like a rider. This past summer I had her study and prepare for her motorcycle endorsement as if she were going to pursue it, just to give her a different perspective. The results were incredible. She is now extremely aware of road conditions and other drivers. Her ability to scan for risks has made her a much better driver. Motorcycle safety training should be part of every drivers ed course. Period.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by el_oscuro on Tuesday October 27 2015, @12:12AM

    by el_oscuro (1711) on Tuesday October 27 2015, @12:12AM (#254945)

    I learned to "drive" on a motorcycle. As a result, I automatically assumed every drive was out to kill me. Even in NM where the drivers are pretty good and polite. Now that I live in DC where every driver is actually batshit insane, that assumption has saved my life.

    Back in my motorcyling days, I would be cautious stopping behind a big truck as motorcycles don't have reverse gears. So I would stop a few car lengths behind to ensure I could get out of the way in case the truck started backing up.

    Fast forward to a few years ago. I haven't rode a bike in a decade but my old habits remain. I am in my S-10 stuck behind a garbage truck that is stopped in the middle of the road, completely blocking it. The driver is delivering a bill to a house or some shit like that. I see him get back into the truck and assume he'll be on his way in a few seconds.

    Instead he slammed it into reverse taking up those 2 car lengths in a few seconds. I slammed it into reverse myself, checking if anyone was behind me. Fortunately no one was and I backed up, trying to get out of the way.

    Not fast enough. Even with my truck backing up, the ass end of that garbage truck hit it with enough force to smash the bumper, grill, radiator and stove pipe the hood, all while I was still in reverse trying to escape. Finally, flooring it I was able to escape off to the side while he kept backing up another 30 feet or so before wondering if he hit something.

    The jackass said he couldn't see my S-10 "because it was so small". If he had bothered to look behind him before getting into the truck he would have seen me just fine.

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  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Tuesday October 27 2015, @12:54AM

    by Snotnose (1623) on Tuesday October 27 2015, @12:54AM (#254963)

    I can't help wondering just what your level of awareness is while you drive. The vast majority of "drivers" on the road are sadly lacking in awareness. People often look at the trunk/tailgate and rear window of the car ahead of them, and that's all they see for minutes at a time.

    I speed. I do 80 on the freeway, usually the speed limit + 10 MPH on other roads. I average a ticket every 10 years, which implies I'm very good at spotting cops before they spot me.

    I always know what's around me. If something happens and I suddenly need to change lanes I almost always know if that lane is open or occupied without looking. People who have no clue of what's around them drive me nuts. These are typically the idiots with hands at 2 and 10, keep a 2 second buffer from the car in front of them, and have no clue that people are passing them on the right and tailgating them with horns blaring and middle fingers in full display.

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2015, @07:03AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2015, @07:03AM (#255015)

      Holy shit! People like you terrify me...

      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday October 27 2015, @07:09AM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday October 27 2015, @07:09AM (#255018) Journal

        Why? He gets a ticket in a decade, why should he be scary? Because he lives in a different world than you do? Because he is ALIEN?!?! Perhaps you are xenophobic.