Safety of use of voice-to-text tech in cars questioned by CEA

Date: 12/06/2013
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has said this below statement, in response to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s recent report, Measuring Cognitive Distractions in the Automobile, on safe driving:

“CEA welcomes all research on how to increase roadway safety and shares AAA’s interest in preventing distracted driving. However, we believe this AAA-sponsored study suffers from a number of methodology flaws, and, as a result, its broad conclusions about voice-to-text technology should be questioned. This study could hardly be considered naturalistic as it relied on young drivers in unfamiliar cars, wearing a type of helmet and driving on a defined course when compared to studies which track real drivers in real situations. A recent and truly naturalistic study completed by Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that hands-free, voice-activated devices constitute no increased safety risks.

“CEA members are at the forefront of innovating technologies that make the driving experience safer for everyone on our roadways. We encourage AAA to educate their vast membership of American drivers to use consumer electronics appropriately and in accordance with state laws when behind the wheel.”