Why Apple’s CarPlay, Siri make AAA nervous

“Apple this week unwrapped a new system that would make it easier to perform tasks while driving with the help of an iPhone and Siri, an important step in the industrywide push to build smarter cars,” Benjamin Pimentel reports for MarketWatch. “But the rise of more technology-enabled automobiles, including those equipped with voice-control systems like Apple’s Siri, is also making some consumer advocates, led by the American Automobile Association, nervous.”

“The federation of motor clubs put out a report in June warning of ‘a plethora of hands-free-in-vehicle communications’ that serve as dangerous distractions,” Pimentel reports. “AAA is in the process of updating that study, and the organization is expected to release a new version this summer, according to Jake Nelson, the association’s director for traffic safety advocacy and research. ‘We are very supportive of the introduction of technologies in the car to enhance convenience for consumers,’ he told MarketWatch. ‘But we are also very concerned about the balance between convenience and safety.'”

“CarPlay, Apple stressed, is meant to let drivers ‘use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction.’ But advocates worry that such claims could give drivers a false sense of safety,” Pimentel reports. “AAA is pushing for more studies and guidelines on the use of smart technologies in cars. ‘There are some tasks that a driver should not be allowed to engage in while the car is driving,’ he said… ‘Drivers should not be allowed to use these technologies to read and respond to emails or interact with social media.’ Nelson said advocates are even looking into issues related to voice-control technologies, such as Siri. He cited questions on whether a ‘synthetic or a computer-generated voice’ may not be as safe as those that sound like a natural human voice.”

Pimentel reports, “AAA’s claims have been criticized by the Consumer Electronics Association, which argued in a June 2013 statement that the organization’s report ‘suffers from a number of methodology flaws, and, as a result, its broad conclusions about voice-to-text technology should be questioned.'”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Overwrought, FUD-ish “concerns” based on flawed studies aren’t going to stop the arrival of the future.

AAA’s probably most worried about Apple supplying Maps, turn-by-turn directions, simple voice access to roadside assistance, and more in millions upon millions of vehicles without the need for an annual AAA subscription.

Related articles:
Apple CarPlay uses BlackBerry’s QNX platform – March 4, 2014
Apple to launch iOS in the Car with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo next week; more makers coming this year – February 28, 2014
Honda’s ‘HondaLink’ offers partial iPhone-vehicle integration ahead of Apple’s ‘iOS in the Car’ – January 24, 2014



    Who is asking these questions? He is. Case closed.

  2. MDN Take: Bingo!

    AAA has a vehicle service plan. SIRI can’t change a flat or jump start your car. But she can call your auto insurance company which probably offers the same service for a fraction of what AAA charges.

    AAA offers business discounts. SIRI doesn’t do that… yet. If Apple rally moves into mobile payments, what is to prevent them from helping merchants offer discounts to those who use their system.

    As far as a revenue stream, what would AAA have left?

    1. They’d still have their overpriced “stores” where they’ll sell you luggage for twice what you can get it for elsewhere, an oil change for twice what it’s worth, and they’ll tell you that you need work done to your car that isn’t needed.

      One of their “mechanics” told my fiancee that she had a blown head gasket on her car, and needed over $3K of repair…that was 6 years ago…car’s still running fine, and she got a REAL mechanic to fix the *actual* problem for under $100.

    2. AAA is still handing out maps with very small type that is a REAL distraction when driving.
      Apple maps just TELL me where to go . . . without taking my eyes off the road in front of me to look for address numbers or poorly lit street signs.

  3. I don’t know if AAA has an agenda or not but they do make a good point. I don’t want drivers listening and responding to emails/text messages while driving. I want them to be concentrating on the road.

    1. How about all of the passengers in the car? Why are we assuming that it’s only the driver that wants access to these features? Why can I not control this or access all of this as a passenger??
      Remember this every time we talk about this (or similar) topic: should I not be allowed to talk/text/GPS as the passenger in the car??!!!

      1. Or even more to the point, what’s more distracting about responding to e-mails/text messages that talking TO THE passengers in your car? Or the kids acting up in the back seat, for that matter? The only way for the driver not to be potentially distracted is to have no passengers, no radio, no navigation system, no adjustable A/C or heat, etc.; just a driver and a steering wheel. 98% of these “concerns” are hand-wringing or hidden agendas, if you ask me.

      2. NSN – you miss the point. As a passenger, you can do all those things just with your iPhone or iPad. Systems such as CarPlay are designed to let the driver talk/text/email etc. hands free while driving.

        1. Actually, no, I don’t miss the point…
          It is much easier to see maps, songs, etc. on a 7-10″ screen than your 4″ screen.

          This is what you do in the car – you tuck your phone in the center console and control everything on the big screen!! Trust me, we do it now.

    2. For most of my friends and co-workers, I wouldn’t worry about it. For most people reading this, I wouldn’t worry about it.

      However, for the average person and below-average person (intelligence-wise), they shouldn’t be allowed to do anything but drive the damn vehicle.

      I’m not trying to be mean, but most of the people on this planet can’t seem to figure out that the vehicle is supposed to go *between* the white lines of the parking space, so I certainly don’t want them trying to multi-task while operating their 4000-pound weapon of destruction.

      Having said that, though, they’re going to read emails and respond to text messages, anyway (it’s illegal to do so while driving in my state, and I still see it multiple times a day). So with that, I’d rather have them doing it via Siri than by trying to type-and-drive.

    3. That horse has already left the gate, dude. That 2003 Saturn going 5 MPH under the speed limit? 90% certainty someone under the age of 20 is texting their BFF.

      Trust me when I say you’d rather have Apple designing a solution for electronically-assisted road idiocy than anyone else.

      1. What an absolutely stupid reply.

        Might as well have said “So what if you almost killed three people, dude…you’d have probably f***ed up that Prius eventually, anyway!!”

        With that logic, you’re going to die anyway, so why not go ahead and do it now, without taking a chance that you mess up someone’s bumper while doing it later.

        What a moron.

          1. Obviously Paul feels that the critical factor in his accident was when he was using his iPhone. Did he leave out details? YES! Because to him there was no point in adding any more!

            He does not say whether he supports tech like CarPlay, or feels whether it would have prevented his accident. These are details that would be relevant to the thread. But instead you chose to seize upon whether in fact his distraction was the cause of the accident because he didn’t include enough DETAIL?

            Your post, though could have been interpreted many different ways. Do you believe using a phone while driving isn’t distracting? Were you making a joke? Are you implying that people will get into accidents regardless? Are you suggesting that Paul is a bad driver and would have totalled his car? Do you know Paul, and are continuing a personal joke on a public forum?

            Instead of seeking clarification related to the thread, you posted a hypothetical question. I will provide you with the answer based simply off of the literal and implied meaning of Paul’s post.

            Paul says he probably wouldn’t have totalled his car. And I will take him at his word because I have no reason not to.

            Whose post was meaningless?

            1. With all the paid Samsung trolls around, I don’t take anything at face value. Do you believe everything you read on the internet?

              You believe you understood what he implied and yet failed to see what I implied. Are you being a bit selective there?

              Yes, I know which posts are meaningless.

  4. Did they bring up those questions when Ford showed the SYNC from microsoft? or when android devices started jumping into cars?
    People will always keep texting and using their entertainment systems in their cars no matter what the AAA says. Apple is just doing those task less distracted, AAA should be thanking apple if they are really concern about safety, but looks like they’re not.

    1. This is a very good point, I bought a Ford Explorer with the SYNC and I’ve never heard anyone raise safety issues over it. It does have the same voice as SIRI and she does give you a warning about using it and being distracted.

      On a slightly different note, the SYNC in my Ford is a worthless pile of crap, my wife has in two years brought her Explorer to the dealer over 6 times trying to get them to fix the damn thing because sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it does things you don’t tell it to do. Like having the door ajar beeping alarm go off while your driving and all doors are shut and I could list whole lot of other problems with the thing but I’ll stop here.

  5. Have to agree with MDN’s take… many of AAA’s offerings that add value have and are being whittled away be technology. Further, their towing services are diminished by the auto manufacturers. In essence, AAA is struggling to find new revenue streams that differentiate their business past auto insurance and travel agency.

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