Georgia Injury Law Blog
The recently passed Georgia Hands-Free Law is intended to reduce the number of distracted-driver related traffic accidents. But did you know that using hands-free, voice-activated technology to operate your cell phone while driving actually poses its own set of dangers? A new study finds that the more complex the task you are performing using voice-activated technology, the greater the distraction level and danger to you.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently conducted a study of the various types of voice-activated technologies that are now present and built-in in so many automobiles these days. These new technologies allow motorists to perform a variety of tasks without moving their hands away from the steering wheel or their eyes from the road. Motorists may use these technologies for reading and dictating text messages, sending and reading e-mails, and even posting on Facebook and other forms of social media. However, as the research suggests, the technology is not entirely foolproof.
The researchers at the AAA Foundation found that the more complicated and complex the task, the greater the distraction level. Advanced commands, like those used for sending e-mails or posting on Facebook, seemed to pose a much higher and more dangerous level of distraction to motorists, compared to tasks that were less mentally challenging. Most motorists do not consider driving while using voice-activated technology to be a major risk. However, if you find yourself looking at your cell phone to spell check an email, the lack of visual attention to the road, even for a few seconds, could cause a serious accident.