AAA study: Hands-free phone systems still distract drivers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A study released Thursday by AAA found that drivers remained distracted for up to 27 seconds after using a hands-free device to make a call or change music.

The study, conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Utah, tested hands-free devices in 10 2015 vehicles and three different smartphones.

"The lasting effects of mental distraction pose a hidden and pervasive danger that would likely come as a surprise to most drivers," Peter Kissinger, foundation president and CEO, said in a news release. "The results indicate that motorists could miss stop signs, pedestrians and other vehicles while the mind is readjusting to the task of driving."

For the study, 257 drivers ages 21 to 80 tested the car systems, and 65 others, ages 21 to 68, tested the phone systems.

Researchers, rating the systems on a five-point scale for cognitive distraction, found the hands-free system inside the Chevrolet Equinox to be the least distracting at 2.4 and the Mazda 6 sedan system to be the most distracting at 4.6.

Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes told The Los Angeles Times the company is aware of the shortcomings in its multimedia system and is working to address them in future versions.

Other cars tested included the Ford Taurus which scored a 3.1; the Chevrolet Malibu, which scored a 3.45; and the Nissan Altima which scored a 3.7. Voice-activated phone systems were also tested, with Google Now coming in first at 3.0 and Microsoft Cortana coming in last at 3.8.

The foundation determined any cognitive distraction rating above 2 is a safety risk, since almost three football fields can be driven across in 27 seconds while moving at 25 mph.

"The massive increase in voice-activated technologies in cars and phones represents a growing safety problem for drivers," AAA President and CEO Marshall Doney said in a news release. "We are concerned that these new systems may invite driver distraction, even as overwhelming scientific evidence concludes that hands-free is not risk free."

The AAA says it will share its results with automakers and attempt to catalyze development of less distracting entertainment and phone systems.