U.S. adults who use in-car voice assistants by frequency 2018

Around 77 million U.S. adults regularly used in-car voice assistants as of September 2018. This corresponds to approximately 68 percent of drivers who have in-car voice assistant technology in their vehicles and 34 percent of the 225 million driver's license holders in the United States.

Speech recognition and safety

Maintaining focus on the road is vital for drivers of vehicles. Cell phone use in particular is a major cause of road traffic accidents in the United States. In many U.S. states, handheld cell use is only loosely restricted for adult drivers. Hands-free calling and voice commands in cars allow drivers to use a wide range of controls whilst driving, without being severely distracted. As the automotive industry moves towards high-spec, autonomous passenger cars, voice assistant technology can be expected to grow in availability and use.

Concerns still exist for driver focus when using voice assistants; adjusting the new wide range of features and controls may take focus off traffic or more attention may be paid towards playing hands-free games.