Is It Legal to Use a Voice Assistant While Driving?

Voice assistants aren’t just useful in managing your daily life and work, they can improve your driving experience. Through verbal commands, your software can make calls, read out texts, give you GPS instructions, and more.

The question is whether it’s legal to use a voice assistant while driving. The answer is positive, but it comes with warnings you should keep in mind when pairing a voice assistant with your car. Let’s break the matter down.

Is It Legal to Drive With a Voice Assistant?

At the time of writing, there’s no law against driving with a voice assistant. On the contrary, you’re encouraged to use them instead of holding, handling, or even tapping your phone while driving.

In the US, more and more states are banning drivers from manually using cell phones unless the car is stopped and not in a public travel lane. The exception, typically for adults only, is hands-free technology.

When it comes to earpieces, you can only cover one ear. Voice assistants in general enjoy more freedom. You can call, text, and get navigation tips, but in most states, it should all be voice-activated and working through a mounted phone or smart car.

Ultimately, these programs make it safer for you and your passengers as they help you focus on the road. No matter how you use your voice assistant to make your life easier, your hands stay on the steering wheel the whole time.

So, as long as voice assistants continue to be safe and useful, it’s unlikely that they’ll become illegal for drivers.

Is It a Good Idea to Drive With a Voice Assistant?

The wisdom of using a voice assistant while driving is clear, especially in studies like one published in Traffic Inj Prev in 2021. It proved that drivers of automated vehicles can boost their alertness and avoid fatigue by using a voice assistant.

Interacting with the technology and its features can keep you sharp. With your attention active, you can also reduce your reaction time. Not only that, but your voice assistant offers entertainment as well as handy tools, including AI and cloud-based features.

Music, for example, is the simplest must-have for developers. Google Assistant’s support page for its driving mode lists its music player as a key feature. You can also make your app read articles or simply talk to you, or try out some funny things to ask Google.

The best voice assistants, whether on your phone or smart car, are multifunctional and intuitive. But there are pitfalls to watch for, no matter how wonderful your software is.

What to Look Out for When Choosing and Using a Voice Assistant for Driving

You need to make sure you set up your voice assistant correctly, so that it doesn’t distract you in any way while driving. Ideally, you activate the software and don’t think about it again except to give commands and use its tools.

At the very least, a voice assistant should:

• Respond to your commands quickly.
• Navigate smoothly from function to function.
• Provide efficient hands-free alerts and tools for calls and messages.
• Offer accurate information, from GPS directions to weather reports.
• Not glitch or force you to manually interact with it while on the move—that is usually illegal.

As you explore voice assistants beyond Echo Auto, you’ll find that high-quality software and hardware are all about giving you the most useful and carefree system possible.

This also depends on what equipment you have in your car. For example, does it have Bluetooth, USB ports, a cigarette lighter socket, or none of the above? Does anything more complex than music make you zone out?

The best voice assistant for you should fit your circumstances like a glove. It’s also important to tailor your settings and apps so that you’re always relaxed but alert.

Understand How Voice Assistants Work and Use Them Better

It really is legal to use a voice assistant while driving, because it keeps your hands off your phone while still letting you interact with it and making your journeys smoother and more enjoyable.

A lot of ground-breaking innovation went into developing voice assistants perfect for drivers. Explore the evolution of voice recognition, Bluetooth, smart cars, and other contributing technologies. They can show you how to get the most out of your digital co-pilot.

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