A new study by Ford Motor Company shows that the Ford SYNC's hands-free system significantly reduces the level of distraction when drivers select a phone number or choose a song on their MP3 player compared with the same operations with hand-held cell phones and music players.

For example, the research shows a study of participants who spent an average of 25 seconds with their eyes-off-the-road to select a song with a handheld MP3 player compared with 2 seconds for those choosing a song using SYNC.

Ford recently completed a driving simulator study with 25 participants who are regular SYNC users to compare driver performance and eye glance behavior effects of tasks performed using SYNC's voice interface as compared to using nomadic devices with visual-manual interfaces. Researchers found that distraction potential for most tasks was significantly minimized when the SYNC voice interface was used as compared to the manual-entry required for handheld devices. For example, reading a text message on a handheld phone typically took the driver's eyes off the road for 11 seconds compared to about 2 seconds when listening to the text message with SYNC's text-to-speech output. Drivers also wandered over lane lines in more than 30 percent of trials using handheld phones and music players for song, artist, and phone book contact selection, as compared to zero percent when performing those same tasks with SYNC.

SYNC, which recently earned Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Award for best new products at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show. SYNC's new "911 Assist" feature will help drivers connect with emergency assistance in the event of an air-bag deployment. Ford's next-generation SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information features leverages industry-leading voice-recognition software, integrated GPS and Bluetooth-capable phones. Debuting this spring, it will provide simple hands-free access to personalized traffic reports, precise driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather.

The new services will be available on nearly all 2010 Ford models with no initial monthly subscription fees, thanks to three years of service included with a new vehicle purchase.

Labels: 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, Automotive Safety Technology, Ford Sync Study, Next Gen Ford SYNC technology