Oklahoma drivers like you know what risks drivers take every day. You do not know when a crash may happen. Distractions make take your attention from the road and cause you harm. This is why you may use hands-free technology to help keep yourself safe.
But how well do hands-free tech devices work? Can they actually protect you from accidents? Do they reduce your chance of getting into crashes? Or do they not offer protection at all?
Hands-free tech vs. physical and visual distractions
The National Safety Council discusses the reliability of hands-free technology. Hands-free tech facilitates the safe use of handheld devices. The primary targets are phones. You may use your phone for legitimate reasons. For example, your phone may have your GPS navigation on it. Thus, you need your phone to tell you directions.
Hands-free tech attempts to remove some of the distractions of using handheld devices. But it only succeeds in two of the three categories. It helps reduce visual and physical distractions. Visual distractions involve taking your eyes off the road. Physical distractions involve taking your hands off the wheel. Here, hands-free tech fulfills its purpose.
Vs. cognitive distractions
The category that hands-free devices cannot combat is cognitive distractions. These distractions encompass anything that takes your mind off of driving. You can classify many activities as cognitive distractions. Talking to passengers counts. So does listening to your radio or adjusting your temperature. Operating electronic devices also falls under this category. Even if you do not need your hands to do it, you still need to concentrate. Unfortunately, hands-free tech cannot provide foolproof safety because of this.
