Warning: wi-fi dangerous in cars

Help us improve U of'T News! Your feedback is important to us. Fill out our 5 minute survey and tell us what features or content you like most. Your responses will help us improve the University of Toronto's news site. Plans to provide high-speed Internet access in vehicles, announced last month by Canadian tele company Rogers and American provider Sprint Corporation, could do with some sober second-thoughts, says Professor Ian Spence of the University of Toronto. "Because of the potential for driver distraction, safety should be of great concern," said Spence, a researcher in the Department of Psychology and the author of a new study on the impact of auditory distractions on visual attention. "Many people assume that talking to a voice-operated device will be as safe as using a hands-free cell phone, but neither activity is safe." Spence and a team of researchers asked subjects to perform an attentional visual field test in which they repeatedly identified the random location of an object in visual clutter displayed on a computer monitor. Poor performance on the test is known to be a good predictor of unsafe driving.