The new hands-free rules in Georgia are in effect, like it or not. Drivers can no longer hold or rest their phones on their bodies, unless they need to make an emergency call. And they cannot touch these mobile devices, except for phone calls and some GPS interactions, any time the car isn’t legally parked. But the Hands-Free Georgia Act does allow for complete use of in-car infotainment systems to handle calls, hands-free texts, GPS, streaming audio, and other functions on screens in a vehicle’s dashboard. A new study from AAA urges caution and shows which systems are better than others.
AAA has conducted numerous studies in the past few years on this very subject, testing many vehicle models' native infotainment systems. A native system is the one built into a car, before switching and using any overlaying apps. A 2015 study even shows how hands-free tasks can cause high rates of distraction that last beyond the tasks themselves. AAA's six recent studies on distracted driving have asked drivers to perform certain tasks with these systems. Researchers measured how long drivers took their eyes off the road, the mental load drivers needed to complete the tasks, and how long each interaction took. They found that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are significantly less demanding than the native infotainment systems from car manufacturers.
“Google and Apple are proving that it is possible to reduce the level of demand in-vehicle infotainment technology places on drivers,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “While improvements are necessary before any of the systems can be considered safe to use while driving, this research shows that smartphone-based software has the potential to offer a simpler, more familiar design that is less confusing to drivers, and therefore less demanding.”
There are two key takeaways here: tech companies are better at developing hands-free software than automakers, and their vendors and these systems as they stand are still not safe. Their findings are stirring.
Researchers recently tested 40 2017-18 vehicles and rated how cognitively demanding their infotainment systems are. 17 caused very high demand, 12 saw high demand, and only 11 generated moderate demand. The study showed that the most trying task is navigation, which test drivers needed an average of 40 seconds to complete tasks in these vehicles' native systems. 40 seconds.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have simpler interfaces (fewer on-screen buttons) and they limit how much a driver can do, thus making them less distracting than other infotainment systems. The study said the Apple and Android systems cause an overall moderate level of demand, which AAA said is still unsafe. Participants made phone calls 24% faster on these systems (five seconds) and used navigation 31% faster (15 seconds). AAA said that drivers still needed up to 33 seconds to complete certain tasks on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, whereas the top time for the average in-car infotainment native system was 48 seconds. That’s a long time. These ways may be safer than holding a phone, but they are still not considered safe.
“Drivers must use common sense when it comes to technology inside the vehicle. Just because it is available doesn’t make it safe to use,” AAA’s Georgia Public Affairs Director, Garrett Townsend added. “Smartphone companies and automakers must collaborate to reduce the potential for distraction that technology places on drivers. Motorists deserve better.”
As we all add mounts, cellphone holders and earpieces to our rides, and as we learn to use our new-fangled contraptions in our dashboards, we still need to wear the yoke of an overall notion. All distracted driving is bad — just because something is less distracting than something else, that doesn’t mean it’s good. Georgia drivers, let’s all be good.
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