Speech-to-text more dangerous to drivers than standard texting
Apr 23, 2013, 1:40 PM
A recent study revealed that voice recognition software or standard texting reduced drivers’ reaction times by twice as much as those who did not text at all.
According to Business Insider, the Texas Transportation Institute featured 43 participants driving on a test track without using any device. The drivers repeated the test while using talk-to-text electronics and normal texting methods.
Results showed that voice-to-text technologies slowed reaction times more than traditional texting because of transcription errors.
Researcher Christine Yager explained that any texting method distracts drivers from the road.
“Every day, new technologies come out, and it is important to educate the public that even these seemingly new distractions are still distractions, and it will help people be safer when they get into the vehicle,” Yager said.
