Talking on a cell phone while driving a car is often the cause of accidents on the roads. The ban on the use of a variety of mobile devices while driving is one of the solutions to this problem, and the use of hands-free and voice control seems like the perfect compromise in this situation.
Unfortunately, the experts after numerous studies have concluded that the voice control type smart phones while driving is not such a safe alternative. The assurance of the news agency Associated Press, studies have proven that "talk" with your smartphone or media systems distract the driver of the car even more than a normal conversation on the phone.
Despite the fact that the voice control mode allows the driver to keep your eyes on the road while answering incoming calls or text messaging, it requires a person to a much greater focus and concentration.
Road Safety Facility and the University of Utah have published the results of studies in which the degree of abstractness was determined on the drivers voice control media systems Car Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai and Mercedes, plus a chat with voice assistant Siri from Apple. Drivers are scored on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 corresponds to a quiet state of man, and 5 points can be compared to solving complex mathematical problems or memorizing the text on memory. Worst result showed voice assistant from Apple, a distraction for the use of which was estimated at 4.14 points, while the built-in media system with voice control in the above vehicles showed the result in 3.7 points. It should be noted that both results higher than in simple conversation on a cell phone.
When the researchers turned to to Apple, representatives of the "apple" of the company explained this by the fact that the test is simply not used the system CarPlay function Siri Eyes Free. According to psychology professor David Strayer, who led this research, they contacted Apple before the tests, and they were given a modified version of Siri, which is almost identical to that found in the final version of iOS 8.
President of the National Security Council and former chairman of the National Council for Road Safety Deborah Hersmen believes that to date drivers, which are the most important safety feature in a car, research on the use of new technologies as guinea pigs.