‘Speech recognition safer for motorists’

Motorists who use speech recognition software while driving are safer than those who control in-car devices manually, research has shown.

A study by Braunschweig Technical University, released by Nuance Communications, found that drivers who use a satellite navigation system with speech recognition are ten times less likely to swerve within a single lane than those without, Channel 4 News reports.

The research, which tested the ability of 30 drivers on a simulator to keep a straight course while using a series of gadgets in their vehicles, also found that use of speech recognition satnavs reduced the chances of them deviating when changing lanes by 30 per cent while they were up to 300 per cent more likely to stay focused on the road ahead.

Drivers were also found to be 50 per cent more distracted when they selected music manually and 39 per cent better at keeping a good road position if they used speech-recognition than dialling phone calls manually.

According to Tech Digest, FineDigital’s latest satellite navigation device includes speech recognition capabilities.

The FineDrive Bio features ETRI’s Fine Speech Recogniser technology enabling it to store up to 450,000 words in its dictionary and allowing users to speak - rather than tap in - their destination.