AAA warns about electronic distractions

Citing recent research on how new electronic devices in vehicles could distract drivers, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has asked the automotive and electronics industries to cooperate in an effort to make vehicles safer.

The new research suggests dangerous mental distractions exist even when drivers keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. The AAA Foundation's Cognitive Distraction Research found that as mental workload increases, reaction time slows, brain function is compromised and drivers scan the road less and miss visual cues.

“These research findings are significant because there is a predicted five-fold increase in infotainment systems in new vehicles by 2018,” AAA spokeswoman Kaelyn Kelly, said. “AAA is bringing this new data to the conversation about limiting new and potentially dangerous mental distractions built into cars. This discussion is particularly important because of the common public misperception that hands-free means risk-free.”

This is the most comprehensive study to date that measures the mental distraction of drivers, and arms AAA with evidence to appeal to the public to not use these voice-to-text features while their vehicle is in motion. Cognitive distraction researchers David Strayer and his team at the University of Utah measured brainwaves, eye movement and other metrics to assess what happens to drivers’ mental workload when they attempt to do multiple things at once.

• Tasks such as listening to the radio ranked as a Category 1 distraction, or a minimal risk.

• Talking on a cell phone, both handheld and hands-free, resulted in a Category 2, or a moderate risk.

• Listening and responding to in-vehicle, voice-activated e-mail features increased mental workload and distraction levels of the drivers to a Category 3 rating, or one of extensive risk.

AAA has already met with safety advocates and provided copies of the report to CEOs of all major U.S. automakers. Based on this research, the organization is calling for:

• Limiting use of voice-activated technology to core driving-related activities, such as climate control, windshield wipers and cruise control, and to ensure these applications do not lead to increased safety risk due to mental distraction while the car is moving.

• Disabling certain functionalities of voice-to-text technologies, such as using social media or interacting with e-mail and text messages, so they are inoperable while the vehicle is in motion.

• Educating vehicle owners and mobile device users about responsible use and safety risks for in-vehicle technologies.

Established by AAA in 1947, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit, publicly-supported charitable educational and research organization. AAA can be visited online at www.AAA.com.