Socializing Under the Influence of Distracted Driving: A Study of the Effects of in-Vehicle and Outside-of-the-Vehicle Communication While Driving

Advancements of in-vehicle technologies and the development of mobile applications that keep a driver connected in a driving environment have caused an increasingly dangerous safety concern. Distracted driving has gained the attention of legislators and governments globally. Countries have constituted bans that partially or fully forbid drivers from using gadgets while driving, especially hindering out-of-the-vehicle communications. This paper introduces Voiceing™, a voice-activated application meant to improve social communications in the car, serving as a safe alternative to distracted driving. Other modalities of interaction such as texting, in-vehicle conversations and outside-of-the-vehicle conversation have been measured and compared with Voiceing™ investigating effects on driver’s performance, cognitive load and user acceptance. Results from this study suggest that Voiceing™ is a safer alternative than in-vehicle interactions with humans. Results also show that natural speech interaction of in-vehicle applications and the inclusion of context awareness help improve driving performance while interacting with a vehicle system.