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Google Glass doesn't make texting safer behind the wheel

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ANI Washington

A new research has revealed that like a smartphone, Google Glass too distracts drivers when texting while driving.

Research at University of Central Florida further found that texting Glass users outperformed smartphone users when regaining control of their vehicles after a traffic incident.

Researcher Ben Sawyer said that they hope that Glass points the way to technology that can help deliver information with minimal risk.

With the emergence of Glass and competitors, several states are considering banning drivers from wearing those technologies.

Sawyer added that while Glass-using drivers demonstrated some areas of improved performance in recovering from the brake event, the device did not improve their response to the event itself.

 

He continued that for every measure they recorded, messaging with either device negatively impacted driving performance and compared to those just driving, multitaskers reacted more slowly, preserved less headway during the brake event, and subsequently adopted greater following distances.

While Glass gives drivers the option of using head movements and voice commands to view and respond to text messages, avoiding clumsy thumbs, texting with the technology still causes distraction.

The study will be published in the journal Human Factors.

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First Published: Sep 25 2014 | 11:54 AM IST

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