If you’re one of those lucky few with enough disposable income to score your own pair of Google Glass glasses, there’s some bad news for you: a new study found that driving with Google Glass – and especially texting while driving with Google Glass – is nearly as dangerous as doing so with a traditional smart phone.
With these research results, odds are that many states that have been mulling over whether or not they should ban the use of Google Glass by drivers may decide to go ahead with a ban despite the slight mitigating factor of Google Glass users having better recovery times in emergencies.
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The University of Central Florida conducted the research in order to determine just how dangerous Google Glass users were while behind the wheel. UCF researchers – along with the Air Force Research Laboratory – subjected several volunteers to tests involving texting while driving in a simulator. The results of the research? Both smartphone users and Google Glass users both displayed high levels of distraction when presented with a car braking suddenly in front of them; in essence, there was no discernible difference when it came to being distracted by reading and responding to texts on either device.
Interestingly enough, there was one major difference between a Google Glass user and a smart phone user. In the wake of an emergency situation, Google Glass users recovered much more quickly than those trying to text on a smart phone. The heightened visibility of Google Glass is likely due to the difference, as is the fact that Google Glass can be operated hands-free.
There are approximately 1.6 million cell phone-related crashes every year, according to the National Safety Council. Distracted driving is a serious problem when it comes to these crashes, and state and federal officials have been ramping up their efforts in cracking down on the practice by motorists. With these research results, odds are that many states that have been mulling over whether or not they should ban the use of Google Glass by drivers may decide to go ahead with a ban despite the slight mitigating factor of Google Glass users having better recovery times in emergencies.
In other words, the message behind the research study is clear: while Google Glass may be making strides towards a less distracting and more integrated user experience, right now it’s still not yet advanced enough to be safe for drivers.
This archive content was originally published September 29, 2014 (www.betawired.com)