Can User-Paced, Menu-free Spoken Language Interfaces Improve Dual Task Handling While Driving?

The use of speech-based interaction over traditional means of interaction in secondary tasks may increase safety in demanding environments with high requirements on operator attention. Speech interfaces have suffered from issues similar to those of visual displays, as they often rely on a complex menu structure that corresponds to that of visual systems. Recent advances in speech technology allow the use of natural language, eliminating the need for menu structures and offering a tighter coupling between the intention to act and the completion of the action. Modern speech technology may not only make already existing types of interaction safer, but also opens up for new applications, which may enhance safety. One such application is a speech-based hazard reporting system. A small fixed-base simulator study showed that drivers adapt the timing of the hazard reports to the situation at hand, such that an increase in reported workload was avoided.