The Surprisingly Dangerous Situation of Hands Free Devices while Driving

Many drivers use hands-free devices in their cars believing that it is a safer way of texting and emailing than to do so by typing.  A new study by the University of Utah and AAA suggests hands-free devices pose more danger than other distractions in cars.  Here is an excerpt from a story on the University of Utah’s website: * * * “Our research shows that hands-free is not risk-free,” says University of Utah psychology Professor David Strayer, lead author of the study, which he conducted for the foundation arm of the nonprofit AAA, formerly known as the American Automobile Association. “These new, speech-based technologies in the car can overload the driver’s attention and impair their ability to drive safely,” says Strayer. “An unintended consequence of trying to make driving safer – by moving to speech-to-text, in-vehicle systems – may actually overload the driver and make them less safe.” * * * To read the rest, click here.  For a related Situationist post, see The Situation of Driving While Texting.
Source: The Situationist - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Law Life Source Type: blogs