AAA Report: Apple's Siri is the Worst Distraction for Drivers

More bad news for Apple.

After scandals with their new iPhones bending and iOS 8 updates bricking phones, the tech giant has endured more than their share of PR nightmares over the past few weeks. Well, now there's another one. AAA just published a report that studied the level of driver distraction caused by various hands-free interactive systems, Siri's voice commands being one of them. The findings were not good for Apple's virtual assistant, which was found by AAA to be one of the most distracting hands-free experiences available to drivers.

The report studied built-in hands-free systems sold by automakers, as well as smartphone hands-free systems. The graph above shows that Siri ranks above the task of navigating complex menus within a car's radio or gps unit. 

The CEO of AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety, Peter Kissinger had this to say regarding the report and the dangers such distractions pose for drivers: "Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that adversely affect road safety. The level of distraction and the impact on safety can vary tremendously based on the task or the system the driver is using." 

The tasks that the AAA study asked drivers to complete while using Siri included: sending texts, receiving texts, checking or updating social media apps and viewing calendar appointments. The study first had test subjects complete tasks in cars that were not moving, which provided a norm for researchers to base the rest of the tests off of. After that, subjects then were required to complete the same tasks while on the road, in moving cars. 

AAA Ceo Bob Darbelnet said regarding the report and the issue of hands-free systems distracting drivers: "It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today's imperfect systems can lead to driver distraction. AAA is confident that it will be possible to make safer systems in the future." 

Apple hopes one of those safer systems will include its Car Play system, which will run in cars, on built-in units. Car Play was originally supposed to launch by the end of this year in various car models, however, the launch of the new system has been pushed back to next year.