Subject: [NEXTEL-1] - Study Finds Windshield-Mounted Speakers Could Make Car Phones Safer

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 14:44:26 -0400

-- Study Finds Windshield-Mounted Speakers Could Make Car Phones Safer

A study at Britain's Oxford University found drivers who converse through a
loudspeaker on a car windshield as opposed to a headset were better able to
pay attention to the road, since the sound was coming from the direction they
were looking. Scientists for the study presumed that these results came
because humans have evolved to deal with sights and sounds that originate
from the same place. They suggested a flat-screen loudspeaker mounted on
the windshield in front of the driver may be a better alternative than headphones
for hands-free driving.

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Windshield Speakers Could Make Car Phones Safer
Thu May 8, 2:14 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Talking on a car phone while driving would be less
dangerous if the loudspeaker was on the windshield rather than in the
driver's ear or to the side, scientists found in a study unveiled on Thursday.

Many countries ban talking on mobile phones while driving, because it has
been proven to cause accidents.

Laws often permit 'hands free' gadgets, with headphones or loudspeakers,
but some safety experts say the devices are little safer, since it is the
distraction of a conversation rather than fumbling with the phone that dulls
drivers' concentration.

But scientists at Britain's Oxford University found drivers were better able to
pay attention to the road if the sound was coming from the direction they
were looking, rather than from the side or in their ear, as in most hands-free
units.

The scientists put drivers into a car simulator and had them repeat words
spoken by a voice. Drivers were better both at driving and at repeating the
words if the voice came from a speaker placed directly in front of them.

'These results show that people find it much easier to look and listen in the
same direction than in different directions. This is presumably because
humans have evolved to deal with sights and sounds that originate from the
same place,' the scientists said in a statement.

'There are some measures that car designers could introduce to increase
safety, such as flat-screen loudspeakers placed by the windshield in front of
the driver,' Dr. Charles Spence, of Oxford's Department of Experimental
Psychology, said.

'The safest way of avoiding accidents, however, is not to use a mobile phone
at all while driving,' he said.

The research was published in Psychological Science journal.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030508/tc_nm/tech_phones_speakers_dc_1

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