A AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study found potentially unsafe mental distractions can persist for as long as 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text using voice commands.
AAA's Nick Jarmusz says this is more evidence of the dangers of distracted driving. He says the cognitive effects have had little study....
"....what often gets overlooked is the mental aspect of distraction are actually the most dangerous kind of distraction. Our study looked at how voice commands and voice detect technology is still creating a dangerous level of distraction for drivers...."
Researchers found there's still a 'grey area' where you brain readjusts to your driving. He says this zone of distraction is much longer than previously thought. Jarmusz says the technology needs to be further refined so they are no more distracting than a radio or an audio book. There's more information on the study at the AAA of Wisconsin website.
