Wi-Fi in Cars Can Prove To Be Risky, Researchers Warn

Wi-Fi in cars is risky as it can be a major distraction for drivers, researchers of a new study found.

Only last mouth Canadian telecommunications company Rogers Communications and American service provider, Sprint Corporation, revealed plans to provide Wi-Fi access in vehicles. Even before the plans were implemented, they have already received much criticism from a team of researchers.

University of Toronto researchers requested the service providers to re-think their plans as making high-speed internet available in cars can prove to be very risky. It may pose a major distraction for drivers, leading to more accidents or mishaps.

"Because of the potential for driver distraction, safety should be of great concern," said Professor Ian Spence, author of a new study on the impact of auditory distractions on visual attention. "Many people assume that talking to a voice-operated device will be as safe as using a hands-free cell phone, but neither activity is safe."

There are many ways in which researchers are able to predict unsafe driving. A common experiment where drivers are asked to identify objects among a visual cluster on a computer screen is a common test. People who perform poorly in this test are considered unsafe drivers.

For the new study, the same experiment was carried out but participants were asked to perform the test whilst carrying out other listening or speaking tasks or in silence. These tasks included listening to recorded news items and answering simple yes-no questions. The most challenging task was asking them to take the last letter of a word given to them and speak another word starting with the same letter. This was to be done while they performed the initial test.

Results of the study revealed that participants who conducted the test coupled with listening or speaking tasks performed just as well as those who conducted the test in silence. However, researchers noted that the rate of response among participants of the former group slowed as the difficulty level of each task increased.

Statistically explaining the findings, Spence said: "At 50 kilometers per hour, a car travels 13.9 meters in one second. A driver who brakes one second earlier than another driver to avoid a collision, will either prevent it completely or be traveling more slowly when it occurs, lowering the probability of severe injury or fatality. A delay in braking by as much as one second presents a significant threat to safe driving and casts doubt on the belief that hands-free voice-controlled devices reduce driver distraction."