Chicago injury attorney Howard Ankin is cautioning drivers about the dangers of hand-free technology, and he says that a new study highlights the risks. A recent study from AAAu2019s Foundation for Traffic Safety found that some hand-free technologies are actually distracting to the point that they could increase accident risk.
To conduct the study, researchers tested a wide variety of in-car hand-free technologies. They rated the complexity of the technologies on a scale from one to five. A rating of one indicated that the technology was as distracting as changing the caru2019s radio station. A rating of two indicated the distraction level of talking on a cell phone. Ratings three through five represented increasingly elevated levels of distraction.
Even though many hand-free technologies advertise similar features, researchers found that there was a significant amount of variance between the different systems. For example, Toyotau2019s Entune was rated at 1.7, the lowest level of distraction among the tested systems. Chevrolet MyLink was rated at 3.7, substantially more distracting than using a hand-held device. Appleu2019s Siri earned a high 4.0 distraction rating.
Howard Ankin, partner and owner at Ankin Law, LLC, said that many drivers assume that hand-free systems are safer than cell phones. u201cThese things are promoted as safety features,u201d he said. u201cBut anything thatu2019s distracting poses a risk. If theyu2019re more complicated to use than a cell phone, it really doesnu2019t matter that theyu2019re hands-free.u201d
AAA has said that it will work with car manufacturers to make hand-free systems safer. One point of emphasis is the systemu2019s accuracy in understanding voice commands. When the system doesnu2019t understand commands, drivers often go to great lengths to input the correct command. That can cause drivers to miss lights, signs, and even other cars.
Says Mr. Ankin, u201cThe safest option is to simply keep oneu2019s eyes and focus on the road at all times. However, that we know that isnu2019t always feasible. Car manufacturers can make roads safer by improving the accuracy of these features.u201d
To coincide with, Howard praises the new legislation presented that would ban the Google Glass for all drivers in the State of Illinois. Stating that the device can prevent drivers from keeping their full attention on the road.
