Voice-activated systems may lead to more distraction behind the wheel

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – How often do you find yourself behind the wheel of your car, trying to make a phone call or send a text, struggling to have your voice-activated system actually do what you want it to?

And how much of your attention does all of that take?

A couple of studies suggest those systems actually require more concentration than making a call the old-fashioned way.

Apple’s Siri is known for having smart responses to questions, but she apparently doesn’t always take direction very well.

In fact, she’s received the worst rating for distracting people behind the wheel, when compared to other voice-activated smartphones and dashboard systems.

“Researchers say Siri sometimes garbled text messages or selected wrong phone numbers from personal phones books. Twice, test drivers using Siri in a driving simulator rear-ended another car,” says reporter ABC Sandy Kozel.

The studies come from the University of Utah and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in the US.

University of Utah Psychology Professor David Strayer participated in the study. He says inattentional blindness can be created by those hands-free devices that are supposed to keep our eyes and minds on the road.

“If you don’t notice that that child is in the crosswalk, you don’t notice if the light has changed, you don’t see another vehicle in front of you… those are hazards that are real-world hazards.”

Of the dashboard systems tested, Chevrolet’s “My Link” got the worst rating. Other systems deemed to be more distracting than talking with the phone in your hand include systems from Ford, Mercedes, and Chrysler.