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Drivers commonly perform secondary tasks while behind the wheel to navigate or communicate with others, which has led to a significant increase in the number of injuries and fatalities attributed to distracted driving. Advances in wearable technology, particularly devices such as Google Glass, which feature voice control and head-up display (HUD) functionalities, raise questions about how these devices might impact driver attention when used in vehicles. New human factors/ergonomics research examines how these interface characteristics can have a deleterious effect on safety.
In their Human Factors article, "Driving While Interacting With Google Glass: Investigating the Combined Effect of Head-Up Display and Hands-Free Input on Driving Safety and Multitask Performance," authors Kathryn Tippey, Elayaraj Sivaraj, and Thomas Ferris observed the performance of 24 participants in a driving simulator. The participants engaged in four texting-while-driving tasks: baseline (driving only), and driving plus reading and responding to text messages via (a) a smartphone keyboard, (b) a smartphone voice-to text system, and (c) Google Glass' voice-to-text system using HUD.
The authors found that driving performance degraded regardless of secondary texting task type, but manual entry led to slower reaction times and significantly more eyes-off-road glances than voice-to-text input using both smartphones and Google Glass. Glass' HUD function required only a change in eye direction to read and respond to text messages, rather than the more disruptive change in head and body posture associated with smartphones. Participants also reported that Glass was easier to use and interfered less with driving than did the other devices tested.
IOW, wait until you're in a self-driving car before you mix texting and driving.
(Score: 4, Informative) by ledow on Friday April 14 2017, @11:13PM (1 child)
It's ALWAYS a Bad Idea to DO ANYTHING ELSE While DRIVING
FTFY.
If you're in a "self-driving" car, depending on your jurisdiction, model of car, local law, etc. then you're either still legally driving (i.e. DON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE, even if the car says it's self-driving) or you're legally not (in which case the above doesn't apply, do what you like).
Does ANYONE really think they should be fucking texting while driving whether they dictating each letter, doing it telepathically or using semaphore? Get off the road, if so.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday April 15 2017, @01:58AM
It's ALWAYS a Bad Idea to DO ANYTHING ELSE While DRIVING
No, its actually not.
Its good to engage in conversation, look around occasionally, change your seat position, adjust the temperature, maybe listen to the radio.
Staring unblinkingly at the road ahead is not conducive to remaining awake.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.