Hands free doesn't mean danger free when using your phone while driving according to a study from AAA.
"Any time you're concentrating on something other than the traffic, you could run a red light or rear end somebody," said Carla Ley, a driver in Jackson, MI Tuesday.
She pulled over to put in directions and answer texts, because she knows the dangers of distracted driving.
But the AAA study shows even devices considered safer for driving, like Bluetooth and Siri, can be just as risky.
"It can be one of the more dangerous aspects," says Tpr. Ben Schwalm from the Michigan State Police.
He calls it cognitive distraction.
"Your mind's not in the game, and your reaction time is gonna be worse," he said.
The study shows the couple of seconds it takes to ask Siri for directions can be just as distracting as picking up the phone and typing it yourself.
But even using hands free devices can keep your mind occupied for another 27 seconds, which when you're on the highway, could mean driving the length of almost seven football fields, not paying attention.
"Despite some of these technological advances that we have, there is still an impact on their driving by utilizing some of these technologies," said Ryan Johnson from AAA Michigan.
He's warning drivers to just stop using devices all together.
"Just put your phone away," Johnson said. "Use the glove box, or put it in the trunk if you have a very difficult time."
And Ley agrees, the less chance for any kind of distraction, the better.
