Speech driving apps a 'distraction'

Texting while driving is dangerous, but new apps that turn your texts into speech may be just as distracting, police say. Source: News Limited

SMARTPHONE apps that read out and respond to text messages while you're driving are a dangerous distraction and should not be used, police warn.

Text Star, available for Australian Android phones in early 2013, automatically replies to all texts and emails with a preset message of your choice whenever it detects you travelling faster than 16km/h.

Another free android app that's already on the market, DriveSafe.ly, uses text-to-speech technology to automatically read out loud text messages and emails the instant they're received, so you can keep your hands on the wheel and avoid a hefty fine and demerit points.

Police and road authorities say while such apps would help drivers avoid fines for holding or operating a mobile phone, which is prohibited in all states, they could still result in fines for driving while distracted, or even cause accidents.

SA Police Traffic Support Branch's Superintendent Bob Fauser said while use of the apps would not constitute an offence for full licence holders, they were a dangerous distraction and should not be used.

"Inattention and distraction cause about a third of all South Australia's fatal road crashes and a little less than half of all serious injury crashes," he said.

"This new technology will only add to the distractions."

Research into driver distraction has shown that using a mobile phone while driving, even in hands-free mode, can increase the chance of a crash by as much as four times.

Supt Fauser reminded parents considering the apps as a safety measure for teenage children that learner's permit and P1 provisional licence holders were banned from using any mobile phone function, including hands-free features.

"For learner's permit and P1 provisional licence holders the use of these apps would still constitute an offence,'' he said.

Authorities also warn that while these apps may seem an attractive safety measure, learners and provisional licence holders in many states including SA are banned from using mobile phones in any way while driving.

The Drive Safe.ly app requires the driver to switch it on before starting their journey. Then automatically reads out - over a loudspeaker - any text messages or emails received until it is switched off again.

The hands-free app is also available for Blackberry and iPhone, however the iPhone version will only read emails.

Text Star, currently only available in the US, uses GPS to detect when a user is travelling faster than 16km/h and automatically launches a "Personal Texting Assistant" to reply to incoming SMS or email.

Users can create messages such as "I can't respond to your text as I am driving" to be sent on their behalf.

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