You hop on the interstate and start driving when you remember you forgot to text your friend and let them know you’re on your way. You decide to use the voice-activated text feature on your phone to send them a quick message because that's safer than texting and driving, right? Actually, it may not be.
A study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University has shown that voice-activated texting can be just as dangerous as regular texting and driving. One of the reasons these hands free options don’t increase safety is because people still feel inclined to look at their screen to ensure that the phone transcribed their message correctly. Even though they’re not taking the time to type out the message, they’re still taking their eyes of the road to proofread it.
There are other contributing factors, though. Even if you avoid looking at your screen, the mental distraction of voice-activated texting could be just as dangerous as the physical distraction. Studies have shown that having a phone conversation, even with a hands free device, lowers a driver’s concentration on the road.
Just because we may not be physically holding the cell phone, our minds are still not fully focused on the road. This applies to voice-activated texting as well. Trying to participate in a conversation can be dangerously distracting, even if both hands are on the wheel.
Next time you need to send or read a text while driving, please wait until you’ve arrived at your destination or find a nice place to pull over. It REALLY can wait a few minutes.
If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, please give us a call 24/7 to begin your FREE consultation.
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