Does Voice-to-Text Help Prevent Accidents?

Monday, September 30, 2013

Does Voice-to-Text Help Prevent Accidents?

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Car accidents are still one of the leading causes of death in this country, with texting while driving a contributing factor in thousands of accidents every year. In fact, texting and driving is widely considered to be as dangerous as drinking and driving or driving while drowsy. To help eliminate this danger, new cell phones are utilizing updated voice control applications, but unfortunately this may not be an effective safety measure to prevent auto accidents. If you believe someone’s negligence on the road is responsible for injuries sustained in a vehicle accident, talk with a personal injury attorney to reach a settlement in your favor.

Study Proves Ineffectiveness

A study conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) observed 43 drivers’ performance in three different scenarios. One of these scenarios involved driving on a close course without the use of a cell phone, while the other two involved either the use of voice-to-text applications or manual text messaging. Cameras were used to track the eye gaze of drivers, and GPS recorded lane position changes.

The length of time it took drivers to respond to a randomly changing light and send a text message were both used to measure response time. Ironically, it usually took longer for drivers to complete a text message using voice-to-text than it did with manual texting. Both modes of texting were found to distract drivers equally, with both equally averting drivers’ gaze on the road, while their reaction time almost doubled.

The study helped reveal that any form of texting using modern technology is still responsible for distracted driving. There is still a lot of research to be done in order to come up with safer ways of driving without simply avoiding distractions entirely. Personal injury lawyers help victims of car accidents who have been injured because of someone else’s distracted driving, successfully receiving settlements for affected families.