Also, they tested Siri on iOS 7. I would like to see the tests done again with iOS 8 and that version of Siri alongside Cortana and the Android voice recognition system. The experiments also didn't have the driver initiating Siri in iOS 7 as iOS 7 requires the operator to hold the home button down to activate Siri. This is eliminated in iOS 8, but the iOS 8 version of Siri may also be more accurate and deal with some of the errors seen in the test. I would call this a decent first experiment, but it wasn't the best try. I don't know where the University of Utah (where this research was done) ranks for transportation research or human computer interaction research, but I'd like to see another set of researchers conduct broader tests before I trust any of the results.
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Hands-Free Siri Interactions Result in Highest Levels of Mental Distraction While Driving
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Also, they tested Siri on iOS 7. I would like to see the tests done again with iOS 8 and that version of Siri alongside Cortana and the Android voice recognition system. The experiments also didn't have the driver initiating Siri in iOS 7 as iOS 7 requires the operator to hold the home button down to activate Siri. This is eliminated in iOS 8, but the iOS 8 version of Siri may also be more accurate and deal with some of the errors seen in the test. I would call this a decent first experiment, but it wasn't the best try. I don't know where the University of Utah (where this research was done) ranks for transportation research or human computer interaction research, but I'd like to see another set of researchers conduct broader tests before I trust any of the results.
That's why they are putting in cameras to watch your eyes to see if you are going to sleep. Just few inches lower and they will be able to watch and see if you are talking, and probably read your lips while they are at it.
And?
Notice how they don't include driving while eating, driving with children in the car, or any other distracted driving.
All part of the propaganda.
Notice how they don't include driving while eating, driving with children in the car, or any other distracted driving.
All part of the propaganda.
I like how everyone is losing their minds over this and other articles like it, but nobody is pitching a fit about cars that come with the factory with touch-screen interfaces YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT TO USE.
I had a rental Ford Fusion with a touch-screen center console in the dead of winter and had to take my eyes off the ****ing road to adjust the defroster and temperature because there weren't physical buttons.
How is that allowed, but talking to Siri with both hands and eyes on the road is someone the end of the world?
I had a rental Ford Fusion with a touch-screen center console in the dead of winter and had to take my eyes off the ****ing road to adjust the defroster and temperature because there weren't physical buttons.
How is that allowed, but talking to Siri with both hands and eyes on the road is someone the end of the world?
Fact: It is illegal to punch someone in the face.
Reaction (blown out of proportion): Soon it will be illegal to initiate any form of human interaction. Touching, speaking, even just a smile.
If you feel the need to use voice commands while driving to update your Facebook status you must have something really important to say that is critical to the News Feed of all of your friends. Surely that is worth the risk of crashing into a minivan full of nuns.
All other tests for the other devices were conducted in the same manner. It's an EQUAL playing field. THis is how they conduct tests.
Personal bias. In even basic tests, of folks just talking on the phone, EVEN HANDS FREE, show less ability to drive than nearly an alcoholic. What do you think trying to converse and deal with Siri does?
Again... All things were equal in the test. They wore this equipment (this is how they're able to gauge attention, etc. for all of the items of the test. Again slowly... ALL THINGS WERE EQUAL.
You're an apologist. It's time to stop drinking the kool aid and step away. Apple isn't perfect. They are just a company the produces products that you and I like. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Come back to the real world.
w00master
I want to see AAA compare all this to driving in downtown London, they drive like maniacs and would cause most american drivers to panic and crash instantly. If you can manage to be an American and swap sides of vehicles and drive wrong side of the road and navigate london without an accident you're doing quite well!
Agreed. This chart is incomplete. Makes no sense that a hands free, voice command co-pilot is worse than texting a message to someone.
I call BS.
Yes, they should totally outlaw statistics. And make pi=3.14 by statute. Now let's all howl at the moon together and pee on a tree.
Dude. You're going to tip over reaching that hard.
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Well, I'm not FROM here, I was only stationed here for 15 years. And speaking of Virginia drivers... I've had FOUR different cars rear ended here, and THREE of them were PARKED at the time.
Something tells me that if Apple came out and said they were creationists, the Apple Apologists would be convinced Apple is correct and deny 99% of scientific consensus.
Especially if you read through these comments on this thread. The backpeddling and apologies are nearly hilarious at this point.
Especially if you read through these comments on this thread. The backpeddling and apologies are nearly hilarious at this point.
Enormously different, I am surprised you would ask. I long for the day of a minimum fine of $1,000 for the first offense for messing around with this stuff while driving.
The roads have become unbelievably dangerous because of all the self absorbed idiots that don't have a life and can't let go of their phone.
I have been biking as my main mode of transportation for nearly 7yrs now. I live in Wilmington, NC which you would think would be very biker friendly (coastal town, flat, only about 10miles wide). Unfortunately, I have been hit by cars 4 times, and almost hit countless times (almost always due to cellphone use). I always follow all the rules of the road, but that cannot unfortunately stop a driver from using their phone and transforming a good driver into a bad driver. I think we should be doing more to stopping all cell-phone use in cars rather than encouraging it with CarPlay and falsely making people think it's safe.
This is one of the big reasons I like to ride my motorcycle, no distractions, just you and the road (and all the people that don't see you because they are too distracted playing with their in car distractions)
Wow, what an incredibly misleading study.
If they were actually evaluating the effectiveness of Siri, they would have compared the cognitive load of completing the same tasks via paper maps, the iOS and Android touch interface, various automakers' built-in speech recognition systems, Siri, and other competing products like Google Now or Cortana.
What they actually compared was:
Their shocking results? Accomplishing several complex tasks with Siri required slightly more attention than accomplishing a few very simple tasks with simple pre-arranged commands given to a human with perfect speech recognition.
Where's the "shaking my head" emoji?
For some reason, they didn't even bother to test Siri performing the same tasks as the other tests (listening to text messages, composing text messages, and finding & navigating to a location).
If they were actually evaluating the effectiveness of Siri, they would have compared the cognitive load of completing the same tasks via paper maps, the iOS and Android touch interface, various automakers' built-in speech recognition systems, Siri, and other competing products like Google Now or Cortana.
What they actually compared was:
- Driving.
- Driving while instructing a human to perform simple adjustments to the AC and radio.
- Driving while instructing a human to read messages using 3 simple commands the subject was trained on before the experiment.
- Same as 3, but with the messages pre-recorded as speech-to-text.
- Same as 4, but also instructing a human to compose messages using 4 simple commands the subject was trained on before the experiment.
- Same as 5, but with the messages pre-recorded as speech-to-text.
- Driving while instructing a human to find a location & navigate to it, using simple commands the subject was trained on before the experiment.
- Same as 7, with occasional simulated errors.
- Driving while speaking into a lapel mic to command Siri to listen to and send text messages, update Facebook or Twitter status, and modify and review calendar appointments. Subjects were not permitted to look at the screen. This is the only test that actually relied on voice recognition or an electronic system instead of a human researcher.
Their shocking results? Accomplishing several complex tasks with Siri required slightly more attention than accomplishing a few very simple tasks with simple pre-arranged commands given to a human with perfect speech recognition.
Where's the "shaking my head" emoji?
For some reason, they didn't even bother to test Siri performing the same tasks as the other tests (listening to text messages, composing text messages, and finding & navigating to a location).
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Many people are bad enough drivers without these distractions. Sadly I think traffic deaths from distracted driving will only increase until self-driving cars become a reality (or at least computer assistance that will anticipate disastrous mistakes). This is years away though.
I don't know about Android Auto (or if that even exists) but I have Sync in my 2012 Edge and the hands free doesn't require you to take your eyes off the road to look at the interface. In fact, with the exception of the nav system, the handles-free doesn't display much. And everything is controlled by one button on the strewing wheel.
I can understand the distraction of whatever hands-free system used:
1). Either needs or even displays anything
2). Doesn't recognize voice commands easily given. The problem may be with people trying to talk to Siri in conversational manners. And it's my understanding that that is one of the main aspects of Siri that is encouraged. But at the cup urgent time I don't think any voice recognition sortware is really good enough for that for everyone.
Whether using Siri or any hands-free device a driver should limit their interaction while driving. Want music? Set up what you want before you start driving. Make only important calls and keep them short. And limit texts to short, important texts sent and/or replied to.
I've been driving for just over 50 years and have never been in an accident. I've even had friends say is seem to be a very focused driver. And I've driven thousands of miles (I'm from Texas where you have to drive a lot to get anywhere). When my son started driving I told him a car is a death weapon. Use it carefully. Yours and others lives are in your hands each and every time you get behind he wheel.
Because the TL;DR version posted on MR didn't see fit to print it.
If, heaven forbid, a person actually took the time to read the source material it would be readily apparent this isn't about Apple at all. It's about Hands-Free in general.Sometimes it's not about the news you get, but where you get it.
To answer your question directly: Excerpted from the source material
"The study also separately assessed Apples Siri (version iOS 7) using insight obtained from Apple about Siris functionality at the time the research was conducted. Researchers used the same metrics to measure a broader range of tasks including using social media, sending texts and updating calendars. The research uncovered that hands- and eyes-free use of Apples Siri generated a relatively high category 4 level of mental distraction.
To put all of this years findings in context, last years research revealed that listening to the radio rated as a category 1 distraction; talking on a hand-held or hands-free cell phone resulted in a category 2 distraction; and using an error-free speech-to-text system to listen to and compose emails or texts was a category 3 distraction.
... Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that adversely affect road safety, said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The level of distraction and the impact on safety can vary tremendously based on the task or the system the driver is using.
To assess real-world impact, Dr. Joel Cooper with Precision Driving Research evaluated the two most common voice-based interactions in which drivers engage changing radio stations and voice dialing with the actual voice-activated systems found in six different automakers vehicles. On the five point scale, Toyotas Entune® system garnered the lowest cognitive distraction ranking (at 1.7), which is similar to listening to an audio book. In comparison, the Chevrolet MyLink® resulted in a high level of cognitive distraction (rating of 3.7). Other systems tested included the Hyundai Blue Link (rating 2.2), the Chrysler Uconnect (rating 2.7), Ford SYNC with MyFord Touch® (rating 3.0) and the Mercedes COMAND® (rating 3.1).
It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and todays imperfect systems can lead to driver distraction, continued Darbelnet. AAA is confident that it will be possible to make safer systems in the future...
This phase of the research highlights the variability in demands across all the systems tested."
I'm not picking on you, but it's a common refrain on MR to deflect by saying "but what about company x" instead of addressing the topic of the post. All of the silliness posted by other individuals could have been avoided by simply perusing the source material. I think MR sometimes edits info for clicks instead of facts.
This isn't new.
It's no ancient Chinese secret that Siri sucks and is far behind the competition.
It's no ancient Chinese secret that Siri sucks and is far behind the competition.