<p>Using voice-to-text messaging, included in systems such as Ford Motor Co.'s Sync and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Entune, is more distracting to drivers than making calls with handheld mobile phones, a study by AAA found.</p><p>Texting a friend verbally while behind the wheel caused a "large" amount of mental distraction compared with "moderate/significant" for holding a phone conversation or talking with a passenger and "small" when listening to music or an audio book, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found in a report released today.</p><p>Automakers have promoted voice-based messaging as a safer alternative to taking hands off the wheel to place a call and talk on a handheld phone. About 9 million infotainment systems will be shipped this year in cars sold worldwide, with that number projected to rise to more than 62 million by 2018, according to a March report by London-based ABI Research.</p><p>"As we push towards these hands-free systems, we may be solving one problem while creating another," said Joel Cooper, a University of Utah assistant research professor who worked on the study. "Tread lightly. There's a lot of rush to develop these systems."</p><p><a href="http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/06/12/295098.htm">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/hidden-dangers-of-hands-free-messaging-revealed-in-new-study-1.1322136">Hidden dangers of hands-free messaging revealed in new study</a> (CTV News)</p><p><a href="http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20130613/NEWS/130619945/aaa-sounds-an-alarm-on-voice-to-text-features">AAA sounds an alarm on voice-to-text features</a> (Tire Business)</p><p><a href="http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/communities-health-and-science-today/2013/jun/12/hands-free-texting-more-distracting-phone-calls/">Hands free texting more distracting than phone calls</a> (Washington Times)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d_Jk7E5WPKjx4uMQYkBKehX0sV6sM&ned=us">224 additional articles.</a></p>