WASHINGTON — Just because you can talk to your car doesn’t mean you should. Two new studies have found that voice-activated smartphones and dashboard infotainment systems, though hands-free, may be more distracting than picking up your phone.
In-dash phone systems are overly complicated and prone to errors, the study by AAA and the University of Utah found, and the same is true of voice-activated functions for music and navigation.
And a companion study found that using Siri — the voice control system on Apple phones — while driving was dangerously distracting. Two participants in the study had virtual crashes in an automotive simulator while attempting to use Siri.
“We already know that drivers can miss stop signs, pedestrians and other cars while using voice technologies,” said Bob Darbelnet of AAA. “We now understand that current shortcomings in products intended as safety features may unintentionally cause greater levels of cognitive distraction.”
The studies measured cognitive distraction — the mental workload required to perform a task — as opposed to the visual distraction, caused by drivers taking their eyes off the road, or physical distraction, such as reaching for a cellphone or brushing one’s hair.
But some Bay Area drivers say they won’t tell Siri to shut up, nor will they stop playing with in-dash phones in their cars.
“It’s not surprising that as motorists have to spend more and more time in their cars in traffic, that we are trying to do more productive things,” said Kevin Cunningham, who can spend 70 minutes a day on Highway 101 trying to get home to Foster City from Palo Alto.
“As a commuter, I find I’m more likely to engage in these things as I’m sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, where there’s very little to focus on other than moving five feet at a time, like I do on 101 in the afternoons. When I’ve got an easy commute in the early mornings, there’s nothing going on other than the radio.”
Jenny Vaughn, of Dublin, said she uses Siri frequently to get directions and will likely continue to do so. “She’s saved me time and time again,” she said. “I wouldn’t think of not using Siri, especially on streets I am unfamiliar with.”
But the report doesn’t recommend using a hand-held cellphone, either.
“The primary task should be driving. Things that take your attention away make you a poor driver,” said Utah psychology professor and study leader David Strayer. “Even though your car may be configured to support social media, texting and phone calls, it doesn’t mean it is safe to do so.”
Automakers discounted the findings, noting that the research did not document that cognitive distraction leads to crashes. Conversely, physical activities, such as reaching for a phone, texting or reading emails while driving do create distractions that cause collisions.
The new research found that voice-based systems distracted drivers because they are too complex and made too many errors in recognizing voice commands.
“Drivers were cursing the systems out,” Strayer said. “If you want to buy one of these cars, make sure you can actually use the voice-based technology before you leave the lot.”
Siri was notable for producing “different responses to seemingly identical commands,” the researchers wrote.
In some instances, the Apple system required exact phrases to accomplish a specific task. It wouldn’t understand subtle deviations from that phrasing. It also required drivers to start over when it made a dictation error in a message, because it offered no way to edit.
“Siri also made mistakes such as calling someone other than the desired person from the phone contact list,” the study said. “Some participants also reported frustration with Siri’s sarcasm and wit.”
Chevrolet’s MyLink system, which the researchers tested in a 2013 Chevy Cruz Eco, scored the worst of the six systems from auto manufacturers.
It generated a distraction rating of 3.7 on the study’s scoring protocol — compared with 2.45 for a handheld cellphone. Three of the other systems rated as more distracting than a handheld phone: Chrysler’s UConnect System, 2.7; Ford’s Sync with MyFord Touch system, 3.0; and Mercedes’ Command system, 3.1.
Only Toyota’s Entune, at 1.7, and Hyundai BlueLink, 2.2, scored better.
Chris Cochran of the California Office of Traffic Safety was intrigued by the report’s conclusion that systems in different cars can vary.
“Using these functions to find out that a left turn is ahead 200 feet may not be a big thing,” Cochran said. “But when I’m looking for the nearest Chinese restaurant and it sends me to a ski resort, well, that won’t work.”
Staff writer Gary Richards, the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
