AAA: Older drivers experience most distraction with vehicle tech

PROVIDENCE – Older drivers experience the highest level of distraction when it comes to dealing with technology in today’s modern vehicles, research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released this week said.
“When it comes to the ‘mental workload’ of interacting with new vehicle technologies, older drivers experience the highest level,” Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Northeast’s senior vice president of public and government affairs, said in a statement. “When mental workload is high, reaction time slows. And older drivers already tend to have slower reaction times due to the effects of cognitive decline.”
Older drivers are defined as those 65 and older.
“Older drivers are also more likely to be driving newer cars equipped with new technologies, so there’s a bit of a double whammy effect,” Albert added.
The report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that intersection crashes are among those in which older drivers are most frequently involved.
“It’s a common sight at intersection stop signs and traffic lights to see other drivers checking their phones or using their in-vehicle technology to make a call or send a text,” Albert said. “Intersections have a great deal going on that drivers need to see, and it’s very important that drivers use caution with their voice-activated systems, especially when they think it’s safe. These challenges double for our older motorists.”
AAA is urging manufacturers to improve the safety of voice-activated systems by making them less complicated, more accurate and easier to use.
AAA research showed that distractions caused through use of voice-activated technologies can last up to 27 seconds after a driver makes a call, sends a text or changes a radio station. The systems that are error-prone and involve longer interaction times can result in greater mental workload, and potentially unsafe distractions, AAA said.

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