Hands-free car devices can continue to distract drivers for up to 27 seconds after use, a new study found. “You’ve shifted your attention to interacting with the device, you stop scanning, you don’t anticipate hazards, you don’t notice things that are in your way,” said a professor who conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “It’s kind of comparable to trying to balance your checkbook as you’re driving down the road. No one would do that.” The researchers studied devices in 10 car models, as well as cellphones.
