Study: Hands-free devices still distracting for drivers

Hands free devices may not be as safe as previously believed. A new study by AAA shows drivers are still dangerously distracted.

AAA research established that a category 1 mental distraction is about the same as listening to the radio or an audio book. A category 2 distraction is about the same as talking on the phone, while category 3 is equivalent to sending... (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

WFLA – Hands free devices may not be as safe as previously believed. A new study by AAA shows drivers are still dangerously distracted.

Smart phones aren't the only culprits. New vehicle information systems can be just as distracting, especially when computers misread voice commands. AAA found these mental distractions can last up to 27 seconds as the mind readjusts to driving.

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They say at the 25 MPH speed limit in the study, drivers traveled the length of nearly three football fields during this time. When using the least distracting systems, drivers remained impaired for more than 15 seconds after completing a task.

AAA tested 10 different types of vehicles and three different smartphone features including Siri. Some performed better than others. The most distracting is the Mazda 6. The Chevy Equinox performed the best, but it's still considered moderately distracting.

Here are the complete results from AAA:

The researchers discovered the residual effects of mental distraction while comparing new hands-free technologies in ten 2015 vehicles and three types of smart phones. The analysis found that all systems studied increased mental distraction to potentially unsafe levels. The systems that performed best generally had fewer errors, required less time on task and were relatively easy to use.

The researchers rated mental distraction on a five-point scale. Category one represents a mild level of distraction and category five represents the maximum. AAA considers a mental distraction rating of two and higher to be potentially dangerous while driving.

The best performing system was the Chevy Equinox with a cognitive distraction rating of 2.4, while the worst performing system was the Mazda 6 with a cognitive distraction rating of 4.6. Among phone systems, Google Now performed best with a distraction rating of 3.0, while Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana earned ratings of 3.4 and 3.8. Using the phones to send texts significantly increased the level of mental distraction. While sending voice-activated texts, Google Now rated as a category 3.3 distraction, while Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana rated as category 3.7 and category 4.1 distractions.