6-14-13 distracted driving study

A new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study shows that hands-free technologies don’t make talking or texting on the phone safer for drivers.    AAA spokesperson Pam Moen tells AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program the research found that as mental workload and distractions increase, reaction time slows, brain function is compromised and drivers scan the road less and miss visual clues.  Moen says that can potentially result in drivers not seeing items right in front of them including stop signs and pedestrians.  Moen says there is a looming public safety crisis ahead with the future proliferation of these in-vehicle technologies.  AAA is urging the automotive and electronics industries to explore limiting the use of voice-activated technology to core driving related activities, and disabling certain voice to text technology such as social media, e-mail and text messages while the vehicle is in motion.