Siri on wheels are dangerous to health

Two new studies have shown that talking with a car are dangerous. Voice control the smartphone and the infotainment system of the car puts the driver much higher risk than previously thought.

Voice commands to tune the radio, send text messages or make phone calls, hold a glance on the road and hands on the steering wheel. However, many such systems are imperfect, or because of their complexity, require additional attention of the driver. These are the results of studies published by the Fund of security of traffic (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Utah. Brief description of the work provided resource Phys.org.

One study examined infotainment systems in some of the leading automobile manufacturers: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai and Mercedes. The object of another study was the voice assistant Siri to navigate, send text messages, social networks, and view the calendar. The system allows you to interact with your iPhone without touching it with his hands and not looking at the screen.





Currently, Apple and Google are cooperating with car manufacturers on combining smartphones and automotive equipment into one system with common applications and content.

The researchers assessed the degree of distraction on a scale with numerical values from 1 to 5, where "1" indicates the absence of distraction, and "5" reflects the employment of the driver by solving math problems and remembering words. In the testing of the systems involved 162 volunteers. Test drives were carried out both on the driving simulator and the cars in real life.

The worst rating was "Apple" Siri — 4,14. Test drivers who operated a driving simulator while talking with Siri, twice crashed into the car ahead.





Among the infotainment systems worse all proved to Chevrolet MyLink company. Its rating is 3.7. Solutions Mercedes, Ford and Chrysler also distract the driver's attention, and to a greater extent than a simple phone.

Interestingly, the results of the study, commented Apple. In a statement, the company noted that the researchers did not test systems intended for use in vehicles, in particular CarPlay or Siri Eyes Free. In response, the head of the two aforementioned studies, psychology Professor David Strayer from the University of Utah said that before the test drive the experts consulted with Apple. According to him, they tested Siri for devices running iOS 7, which is almost identical to the version for the recently released iOS 8.

The worst systems Strayer call those who incorrectly recognize commands spoken clearly and understandably. Drivers had to make an extra effort to give the system to understand what they want from it. He also said that there were moments when Siri typed text messages with mistakes or chose the wrong record from a personalized phone book of the driver.





"Systems are becoming more complex, for example, trying to send text messages or make notes in Facebook, and this leads to an increase in workload, resulting in a potential hazard while driving," said Strayer.

Studies contradict statements by automakers that voice-control system ensures convenience and security. Security experts say that drivers believe in safety of such systems, as they are already built into the vehicle and operated in a mode "hands-free".

The President of the National safety Council Deborah Hersman says:

"All this is reminiscent of the Wild West, where a vehicle security system rests on the driver, Guinea pig rabbit, which tested new technology."

First place in the ranking took the Entune system from Toyota (1,7) and Blue Lin Telematic System Hyundai (2,2).

"A well-designed system is one that does not distract the driver from the road," concluded Strayer.

Source: hi-news.ru