{"id":659,"date":"2014-11-10T14:39:35","date_gmt":"2014-11-10T19:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefloridainsuranceblog.com\/?p=659"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:46:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:46:54","slug":"hands-free-driving-is-not-risk-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/2014\/hands-free-driving-is-not-risk-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands Free Driving Is Not Risk Free"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida prohibits texting while driving<\/a> but hand held cell phone use is permitted. Safety minded Florida drivers have embraced hands free devices such as earpieces, the speakerphone or a dashboard auto system in an effort to promote safety but are they really that much safer?<\/p>\n

The\u00a0National Safety Council<\/a>, (NSC) released a report about the distraction a hands free cell phone conversation can have on your mind and how that can affect your driving. Their results show it causes slow response and reaction times. It also proves difficult for drivers to maintain their lane.<\/p>\n

Having our sight is vital while driving. Not only is talking on a cell phone while driving a cognitive distraction but a visual distraction as well. Multitasking significantly narrows our field of view. \u00a0The report it states, \u201cDrivers using hands free phones have a tendency to \u201clook at\u201d but not \u201csee\u201d objects. Estimates indicate that drivers using cell phones look but fail to see 50 percent of information in their driving environment. \u00a0It is a condition similar to tunnel vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

When your brain is distracted, even by something as seemingly harmless as a cell phone conversation, it cannot process everything in the roadway making the driver unable to identify potentially hazardous situations and unable to respond to unexpected situations. It is referred to as \u201cinattention to blindness\u201d and caused by the cognitive distraction of a cell phone conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrivers generally know when they are physically or visually distracted from the road but, it can be more difficult to discern when they take their mind off the road,\u201d said Dustyn Shroff<\/a>, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Voice command infotainment systems are developed by car makers with the goal of contributing to driver safety. \u00a0It is designed to make performing tasks in your vehicle hassle free, convenient and hands free.<\/p>\n

AAA<\/a>\u2019s Foundation for Traffic Safety released a report that evaluated the demands of using hands free voice systems. The report is entitled, \u201cMental Workload of Common Voice-Based Vehicle Interactions across Six Different Vehicle Systems\u201d. They took six top automakers\u2019 voice activated infotainment systems and put them to the test.<\/p>\n

They conducted a research using 18 men and 18 women and measured brain activity, heart rate and had a passenger evaluate their reactions. At the end of the study each participant took a questionnaire about their experience. The drivers were given a map and task assignments such as, \u201cfrom your contacts, call Joel Cooper on his cell\u201d and \u201ctune the radio to 103.5 FM.\u201d<\/p>\n

AAA\u2019s results suggest that even if a driver\u2019s eyes are on the road and their hands are on the wheel, their ability to respond may be impaired. \u201cCommon voice tasks are generally more demanding than natural conversations, listening to the radio, or listening to a book on tape.\u201d They also reported that system errors, such as the system, not recognizing your command can cause frustration and increase your cognitive workload.<\/p>\n

Below are the results of the in-car voice systems beginning with the system, which imposed modest demands to the systems which required the most mental work.<\/p>\n