Three out of four drivers in America believe that using hands-free technology like Siri is a safer way to cruise the highway than fiddling with buttons and knobs, but a surprising study from AAA found that using Siri on the road is actually dangerously distracting.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety tested the distraction levels of a number of hands-free solutions from auto-manufacturers that allow drivers to compose messages, change the radio, and navigate complex menus with voice commands, and found that trying to chat with Siri while driving is more distracting that composing a text.
“Researchers used the same metrics to measure a broader range of tasks including using social media, sending texts and updating calendars. The research uncovered that hands- and eyes-free use of Apple’s Siri generated a relatively high category 4 level of mental distraction.”
Apple’s iOS 7 version of Siri was used in the study, which was conducted before the release of iOS 8. CarPlay also received no testing time, likely due to its limited availability in 2014, unless you’re in the market for a Ferrari. Other car systems tested included Chevrolet MyLink, Hyundai Blue Link, Chrysler Uconnect, Ford SYNC with MyFord Touch, Mercedes COMAND, Toyota’s Entune, all of which scored lower on the distraction scale than Siri.
To make a truly hands-free version of Siri, AAA talked to Apple’s technical staff and customized Siri to be completely hands and eyes free by using a lapel microphone, and the “Hello Siri” command to manually activate an iPhone 5. This allowed the driver to never look at, or touch the iPhone during interactions.
The distraction tests were conducted by Dr. David Strayer and researchers at the University of Utah, who used heart-rate monitors and other equipment designed to measure reaction times, and ranked the most common voice-activation features based on how distracting they are. Unfortunately for Apple, Siri ranked highest.
AAA encourages drivers to limit their use of voice-based technology to decrease distraction. The company is still optimistic about future solutions though, and says developers should improve their designs to be less complicated, more accurate and easier to use.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
16 responses to “For drivers, Siri’s screwups are worse than fiddling with a phone”
Some people lack the skills that are required to multi-task.
I am very comfortable with using Siri to play music, check stock prices, ask for directions, etc. while driving. I simply keep in mind that driving is the primary task.
BS. I love using Siri so I can keep my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. I find most studies way off from the real world.
Those of you who feel that you are capable of multitasking while behind the wheel – time for a mental check: Your reaction time is worse than a 90 year old, your vision is similar to Stevie Wonder. Put it away until you get there.
Worse than a 90 year old? Not someone who is 89? Who came up with the magic ago of 90?
I am not at all surprised by this. Siri is completely useless.
Siri is useless for those people who lack the intelligence that is required to use it – the intelligence of the average twelve-year-old.
Agreed. But to be fair when it comes to modern tech, the intelligence of a 12-year-old is probably more impressive than that of a 30-year-old.
A 12 yr old living my life would be impressive.
You won’t get any information from any of the digital assistants on sports outside the US. So in that respect, they all fail.
(Driving in northern Santa Rosa, late for a meeting at city hall, and hoping for simple driving directions – I know how to get there, just wanted the quickest way from where I was.)
Me: “Give me driving directions to city hall.”
Siri: “I have located ‘city hall’ for you. It’s 2300 miles to the east. Here is route guidance.”
Me: “That’s the wrong one!”
Siri: “I’m sorry, I don’t understand ‘the wrong one’. Would you like a web search?”
Me: “Give me driving directions to city hall, Santa Rosa, California.”
Siri: “I have located Santa Rosa, Philippines. Route guidance is not available.”
Me: “Thank God!”
And even if she finds the right one, chances are that Apple Maps will have the wrong location for that address. My home address is 2 blocks wrong and my work address is a mile in the wrong direction. I’ve notified apple countless times to no avail. Just let us set google maps as a default map application.
I’ve only ever had a problem with Apple Maps in one city in Canada. I’ve only used it once or twice in Washington, mainly Seattle and it was dreadful. Is it at all possible that it’s somehow worse in the United States?
those “some people” who lack the skills to multitask are likely the ones who’ll crash into you. Keep advocating for operating “hands-free” devices you lemmings. If you think you feel capable of operating these devices while you operate a 3600 lb hunk of metal and plastic, and, that it is your right to do so because you think you can…then you’re advocating for those who cannot in the same breath. No one should use anything handheld beyond a GPS in a car. Think I’m reacting too strongly? Everyone who operates a motor vehicle on the roads has 1 in 63,000 chance of being in a crash w/ a distracted driver. You are safer swimming w/ sharks….
My car has it’s own voice commend system that completely goes drunk when Siri is also active. I shut off al the of the car’s voice system and just use Siri.
While I don’t hold or touch my phone while driving, I do use the “Hey Siri” command to reply to or send a text. There have many several times where I am talking on the phone through my car’s bluetooth and I completely stop talking because I realize I need to pay complete attention to what’s happening around me. I’m sorry, but when I’m on the highway, that requires less attention than when I’m in the downtown core.
How about people just concentrate on the task of driving a vehicle? It is a rather important task, is it not? All these digital distractions can only diminish concentration of not killing someone with your car. It is still one of the leading causes of how human beings kill each other.