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(Image source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute)
BY NATHAN BYRNE
The dangers of texting while driving have been well-documented. And while voice-to-text
apps like Siri seem like safe alternatives, a new study from the Texas A&M Transportation
Institute suggests that isn’t so. Research participants drove on a closed course, sending
two texts each — one manually, and one using voice-to-text. (Via WTVT)
The study used Siri for iPhone and Vlingo for Android — and found “ ... driver response
times were significantly delayed no matter which texting method was used.”
A writer for Engadget points out that — in some cases — voice-to-text “ ... often
took longer than manual input ... ” That’s credited to the extra time required to correct
words incorrectly transcribed by the apps.
A Washington Post report says the rise in popularity of voice-to-text apps came as Americans
swapped 6.1 billion texts per day. And according to the study ...
“ ... drivers said they felt safer when using voice-activated texting than when entering
messages on a keyboard.”
And Discovery News calls that “ ... a big concern.” Citing data from AAA that says
35 percent of drivers read texts behind the wheel and 26 percent say they type them.
Forty-three people took part in the study. The institute plans to look next at the attitudes
and motivations of distracted drivers.