A study by AAA ranks Siri as a “category 4” distraction, meaning drivers who use it are very likely to have an accident if they use it as an assistant while driving.
The team used testing instruments and heart rate monitors in vehicles, among other things, to measure drivers' reaction time and assess the likelihood of making a mistake behind the wheel.
The process
The test was conducted to understand how driver attention is affected by various features of Siri, including its robotic, synthetic voice.
During its operation, the assistant showed a disturbance in volume and the research showed that “the quality of the synthesized speech was not a significant contributor to the outcome.”
The press release further states that participants were not able to see or touch the iPhone during the test, as the experiment had to be performed by manually interacting with Siri. This was done to demonstrate that any impairment results were related to Siri.
Participants were also asked to wear a microphone, so they didn't have to shout.
It is not safe to drive
As it stands, Siri is not 100% safe to use while driving, according to research conducted by AAA.
In comparison, listening to the radio was classified as a Category 1 distraction, talking on the phone or via hands-free was classified as a Category 2 distraction, and using speech to write text was classified as a Category 3 distraction, according to the report.
Bob Darbelnet, CEO of AAA, said, “We already know that drivers can ignore stop signs, pedestrians and other cars when using voice technologies because their minds are not fully focused on the road ahead. We now understand that features in these products, intended as safety features, may inadvertently cause higher levels of distraction.”.
CarPlay
While the study may be accurate, let's not forget Apple's efforts to make Siri safer for driving. CarPlay-equipped vehicles are much better designed to address these issues. But since the product has only just hit the market, we'll have to wait and see what impact it has in real life.
