Think You Know All About Distracted Driving? Think Again, Says AAA

Drivers face dangerous mental distractions, even when they keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, according to new findings from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Hands-free technologies might make it easier for motorists to text, talk on the phone, or even use social media while driving, but the research finds that as mental workload and distractions increase reaction time slows, brain function is compromised and drivers scan the road less and miss visual cues—potentially resulting in drivers not seeing items right in front of them including stop signs and pedestrians.

Cognitive distraction expert Dr. David Strayer and his research 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, building upon decades of research in the aerospace and automotive industries.  Drivers engaged in common tasks, from listening to an audio book or talking on the phone to listening and responding to voice-activated emails while behind the wheel.  Researchers then rated the levels of mental distraction drivers experienced while performing each task. Similar to the Saffir-Simpson scale used for hurricanes, the levels of mental distraction are represented on a scale:

• Tasks such as listening to the radio ranked as a category “1” level of distraction or a minimal risk. 

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

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

With a predicted five-fold increase in infotainment systems in new vehicles by 2018, AAA is calling for action as result of this landmark research.  “There is a looming public safety crisis ahead with the future proliferation of these in-vehicle technologies,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet.  “It’s time to consider limiting new and potentially dangerous mental  distractions built into cars, particularly with the common public misperception that hands-free means risk-free.”

AAA urges the automotive and electronics industries to join us in exploring:

• 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 that they are inoperable while the vehicle is in motion.

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

AAA also is using the findings to promote dialogue with policy makers, safety advocates and industry to ensure that these emerging in-vehicle technologies won’t lead to unintentional compromises in public safety. 

This is the most comprehensive study of its kind to look at 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.

To view the full Cognitive Distraction in the Vehicle report, the AAA Foundation’s Research Compendium on Cognitive Distraction or AAA’s Distracted Driving Fact Sheet, visit NewsRoom.AAA.com.

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