The idea behind putting hands-free technology in cars is essentially to make them safer. If you can talk to your phone and send a text message, rather than looking down and typing it, you can keep your eyes on the road.
While that makes sense to a certain degree, experts warn that you should not assume that hands-free tech makes you perfectly safe. There are still some serious risks. It still leads to distraction. It can still cause accidents.
People often talk about looking down to read a text message and driving the distance of a football field while you’re distracted. It’s not a perfect example, but it’s a comparison most people can understand easily. The danger is clear.
Well, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety looked at voice-controlled auto technology that makes it possible to use your smartphone in the car. What they found was that drivers who did so could cover a full three football fields before they stopped using those systems.
You could argue that they were not as distracted while doing it, but they were still distracted. Even if they’re not looking down, it’s a mental distraction. And it lasts for far longer than the typical texting-and-driving issues. That is not a recipe for safety.
The reality is that any driver who is doing anything but driving is a distracted driver. It does not matter if it’s a hands-free system or not. They are still not as safe as they could be. When those drivers cause accidents and you suffer serious injuries, you must know how to seek financial compensation.