Mr White says part of the problem is there are still many public misunderstandings around phones and driving.
“A good example is the view that if you’re using a hands-free phone — if you’ve got it in a cradle — then that’s taking the risk away. And that’s not true,” he says.
“There’s plenty of scientific evidence that says the level of distraction, using a phone hands-free or hand-held, is exactly the same. It doesn’t change.”
The level of distraction is one thing, but the level of dexterity is different. It’s a lot easier to drive straight looking at a phone (or even interacting with one) that’s in a cradle.
How would you police it? Can’t know if someone is using their device if they’re not holding it, they could be singing to the radio or talking to themselves.
Wait, so with that mindset, it’s talking to your passenger an ever greater risk, as you might glance over at them while talking? I mean hands free phone seems like less of a distraction than a passenger, no?
I know intuitively this seems logical but research seems to suggest using hands-free devices while driving can actually be more distracting than talking to a passenger. The main reason is that you don’t have the same visual and verbal interaction with the phone, which can lead to cognitive distraction. Cognitive distraction is when your mind isn’t fully focused on the road, even if your eyes are on the road and your hands are on the wheel.
A study from the University of Utah found that it takes up to 27 seconds to regain full attention after issuing voice commands to a hands-free device. The study also showed that using hands-free voice commands to dial phone numbers, call contacts, change music, and send texts with personal assistants like Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri, and Google Now can be highly distracting.
Another study by the National Safety Council found that handheld and hands-free cell phone use causes similar levels of impairment in driving performance. Drivers using hands-free phones tend to “look at” but not “see” objects, experiencing inattention blindness, which is similar to tunnel vision. This can lead to drivers missing important visual cues critical to safety and navigation.
On the other hand, when you’re talking to a passenger, you have the advantage of visual and verbal interaction, which can help maintain your attention on the road. Passengers can also adjust their conversation based on the driving situation, whereas a hands-free device can’t.
So yeah, hands-free devices can be more distracting than talking to a passenger because of the lack of visual and verbal interaction and the cognitive distraction they cause.
University of Utah study on hands-free devices and cognitive distraction: Strayer, D. L., Cooper, J. M., Turrill, J., Coleman, J., Medeiros-Ward, N., & Biondi, F. (2015). Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
National Safety Council study on handheld and hands-free cell phone use: National Safety Council. (2010). Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-Free Cell Phones is Risky Behavior.
Wait, you’re saying being visually engaged with my passager, meaning looking at them and not the road, helps me pay attention to the road more?
Also it takes 27 seconds to recover focus after saying “Hey Google, play some music.” I mean I’ll have to look at these studies but they seem suspicious. That’s nearly half a mile at 60 mph.
To save you a click:
But one of these is legal and the other is not, why is that?
Big Hands Free doesn’t like it when you ask questions.
The level of distraction is one thing, but the level of dexterity is different. It’s a lot easier to drive straight looking at a phone (or even interacting with one) that’s in a cradle.
How would you police it? Can’t know if someone is using their device if they’re not holding it, they could be singing to the radio or talking to themselves.
Wait, so with that mindset, it’s talking to your passenger an ever greater risk, as you might glance over at them while talking? I mean hands free phone seems like less of a distraction than a passenger, no?
I know intuitively this seems logical but research seems to suggest using hands-free devices while driving can actually be more distracting than talking to a passenger. The main reason is that you don’t have the same visual and verbal interaction with the phone, which can lead to cognitive distraction. Cognitive distraction is when your mind isn’t fully focused on the road, even if your eyes are on the road and your hands are on the wheel. A study from the University of Utah found that it takes up to 27 seconds to regain full attention after issuing voice commands to a hands-free device. The study also showed that using hands-free voice commands to dial phone numbers, call contacts, change music, and send texts with personal assistants like Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri, and Google Now can be highly distracting.
Another study by the National Safety Council found that handheld and hands-free cell phone use causes similar levels of impairment in driving performance. Drivers using hands-free phones tend to “look at” but not “see” objects, experiencing inattention blindness, which is similar to tunnel vision. This can lead to drivers missing important visual cues critical to safety and navigation.
On the other hand, when you’re talking to a passenger, you have the advantage of visual and verbal interaction, which can help maintain your attention on the road. Passengers can also adjust their conversation based on the driving situation, whereas a hands-free device can’t.
So yeah, hands-free devices can be more distracting than talking to a passenger because of the lack of visual and verbal interaction and the cognitive distraction they cause.
University of Utah study on hands-free devices and cognitive distraction: Strayer, D. L., Cooper, J. M., Turrill, J., Coleman, J., Medeiros-Ward, N., & Biondi, F. (2015). Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
National Safety Council study on handheld and hands-free cell phone use: National Safety Council. (2010). Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-Free Cell Phones is Risky Behavior.
Wait, you’re saying being visually engaged with my passager, meaning looking at them and not the road, helps me pay attention to the road more?
Also it takes 27 seconds to recover focus after saying “Hey Google, play some music.” I mean I’ll have to look at these studies but they seem suspicious. That’s nearly half a mile at 60 mph.
yeah i know it seems bizzare I agree, however fwiw that’s what the science seems to indicate.