Oct. 7, 2009 (Business Wire) -- Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that it supports a ban on handheld text messaging behind the wheel. Its obvious distractions pose a serious danger to drivers, their passengers and others on the road. The practice of texting while driving takes drivers’ eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel, which has lead to a number of highly-publicized accidents.

Nuance attended the Distracted Driving Summit held in Washington, D.C. on September 30^th and October 1^st, and given the facts and testimonials presented, advocates for the creation of a safer, smarter driving environment with in-car systems, devices and mobile phones powered by voice-based, or speech technologies. Nuance also advocates for a federal initiative that drives the increased deployment of these systems, enabling a safer mobile environment via hands-free interfaces requiring limited to no visual confirmation.

FACTS

• In Nuance’s 2008 In-Car Distraction Study implemented by the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany, an analysis of drivers’ eye movements revealed that voice commands help drivers keep their eyes on the road, reducing driver distraction by as much as 100 percent depending on the task.
• Speech recognition technology improves the overall safety of the automotive environment through hands-free interfaces that keep drivers’ eyes on the road. Drivers can dial a contact or phone number, input a navigation address or select their favorite song – all by using their voice. Nearly all automakers, including Ford, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes and others, have already integrated aspects of speech technology into certain in-car infotainment systems.
• Multiple devices brought into the automobile, including personal navigation devices and mobile phones, are increasingly deploying speech capabilities. These include both voice command and control and text-to-speech-enabled readback that allow drivers to keep focused on the road ahead, ultimately reducing visual distractions.
• As legislative efforts that address handheld texting while driving intend to create an overall safer automotive environment, it’s critical to observe the ways in which the mobile industry can provide a viable solution for minimizing distractions behind the wheel through the integration of speech technology.