Automobile manufacturers say that over fifty percent of all vehicles on the road will have some sort of voice recognition technology integrated into their systems by 2020. They advertise these systems as increasing automobile safety by allowing the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, but according to a recent study done by the American Automobile Association (AAA), drivers using this type of technology are actually creating a different and worse safety risk by creating mental distractions.

Researches found that drivers using voice activated technology, would become so involved interacting with the system, that even with their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, their reaction times were substantially impaired. The AAA want to limit voice-activation to “core driving-related activities such as climate control, windshield wipers and cruise control.” They say that voice-to-text technologies, such as using social media or interacting with e-mail and text messages should be deactivated while the vehicle is in motion. According to Robert L. Darbelnet, AAA president and CEO. “There is a looming public safety crisis with the future proliferation of these in-vehicle technologies.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are recommending voluntary guidelines, urging automakers to block drivers from plugging addresses into navigation systems or browsing the Web while in motion. They said they will also release a round of guidelines for mobile devices and voice-activated systems.