Using a wearable doesn’t make texting while driving safe, study finds
We all (hopefully) know that using a phone to text while you’re driving is incredibly unsafe, but new research suggests that the same is true while using a wearable instead.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas, as reported by Phys.org, tasked 20 participants with using a driving simulator while receiving and sending texts on either a Google Glass or smartphone.
The good news is that using a wearable such as the Google Glass, which is equipped with voice control functionality, made it easier for the participants to respond quickly, and they were less distracted while doing so.
However, the bad news is that because interacting with it was easier, the participants were more likely to interact overall, which pretty much eliminated any safety advantages the device brought.
No way to safely drive and text
The results of the study suggest there’s still no safe way to drive and text at the time time. It doesn’t matter if your hands are still both free to use the wheel, if you’re distracted by any device you’ll be a less effective driver.
The safest thing to do if you receive a text is pull over to the side of the road when it’s safe to do so, and check it then.
Of course, the eventual hope is that driverless cars will one day allow us to text in our vehicles to our heart’s content, but recent accidents from both Uber and Tesla suggest that the technology still has some way to go.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
