If you thought it is okay to talk to your car infotainment system or smartphone while driving then think again.
New research has found that it takes up to 27 seconds to regain full attention after issuing voice commands.
University of Utah researchers conducted two studies for the traffic safety charity AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
One of the studies showed that it is highly distracting to use hands-free voice commands to dial phone numbers, call contacts, change music and send texts with Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri and Google Now smartphone personal assistants.
In another study, they examined voice-dialing, voice-contact calling and music selection using in-vehicle information or “infotainment” systems in 10 model-year 2015 vehicles.
Three were rated as moderately distracting, six as highly distracting and one as very highly distracting, the US-based traffic safety non-profit said in a report.
“Just because these systems are in the car doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to use them while you are driving,” said senior author of the two studies David Strayer, psychology professor at University of Utah.
“It is better not to use them when you are driving,” Strayer said. The research also found that, contrary to what some may believe, practice with voice-recognition systems does not eliminate distraction.