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Many car manufacturers and phone makers rave about the smart systems in cars that are designed to help drivers safely use their devices at the wheel.

But in a study, researchers found that such systems were actually dangerous, as drivers were distracted by misunderstood requests or poor service.

On a scale of one to five, five being most distracting, Apple's Siri rated the worst at 4.14 while others such as Chevrolet's MyLink also ranked highly at 3.7.

Two studies were carried out by the AAA foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington DC and the University of Utah. They found that drivers were increasingly distracted by 'smart' cars. This photo shows a driver during the Cognitive Distraction Phase II testing in Salt Lake City

Two studies were carried out by the AAA foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington DC, and the University of Utah.

In one, they examined infotainment systems in some of the most common brands on the road, including Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes and Toyota.

The other used Apple's Siri voice system to navigate, send texts, make social media posts and use the calendar without handling or looking at the phone.

The systems were tested by 162 university students and other volunteers in three settings - a laboratory, a driving simulator, and in cars while driving though a Salt Lake City neighbourhood.

The voice-activated systems were graded on a distraction scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing no distraction and 5 comparable to doing complex math problems and word memorisation.

Apple's Siri received the worst rating of 4.14. 

And test drivers using Siri in a driving simulator rear-ended another car on two separate occasions.

Chevrolet's MyLink received the worst rating, 3.7, among the infotainment systems.

Infotainment systems from three other automakers - Mercedes, Ford and Chrysler - were also rated more distracting for drivers than simply talking on a mobile. 

Two of the infotainment systems were rated relatively low for distraction. 

Toyota's Entune received a 1.7, the distraction equivalent of listening to an audiobook, and Hyundai's Blue Link Telematic System received a 2.2. 

During research, 162 students drove in simulators and around a neighbourhood while using different voice-activated integration systems. Many of the test subjects found that the systems were unable to understand their requests. Apple's Siri (stock image shown) was rated the most distracting

The systems with the worst ratings were those that made errors even though drivers' voice commands were clear and distinct.

Drivers had to concentrate on exactly what words they wanted to use, and in what order, to get the systems to follow their commands, creating a great deal of frustration.

For example, an infotainment system might recognise a command to change a radio station to '103.5 FM' but not 'FM 103.5' or simply '103.5.'

Siri also sometimes garbled text messages or selected wrong phone numbers from personal phonebooks.

During one test, it called 911 instead of the phone number requested by the volunteer driver, and the driver had to scramble to end the call before it went through. 

Siri found the number in the driver's phonebook because the driver had called it once before.

'When these systems become more complex, like sending text messages or posting to Facebook, it pushes the workloads to pretty high levels and may be dangerous while driving,' said Professor David Strayer, the University of Utah psychology professor who led the two studies.

The voice-activated systems (shown being tested) were graded on a distraction scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing no distraction, and 5 comparable to doing complex math problems and word tasks. Chevrolet's MyLink received the worst rating, 3.7, among the infotainment systems

The studies contradict claims by car manufacturers, who have been pitching the voice systems to buyers as a way they can safely enjoy social media and connectivity.

Safety advocates claim drivers assume such systems are safe because they are incorporated into vehicles and are hands-free.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates vehicle safety, has issued guidelines to automakers for dashboard systems and is working on similar guidelines for phone and voice-activated systems, but the guidelines are voluntary.

'Infotainment systems are unregulated,' said Deborah Hersman, president of the National Safety Council and former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. 

'It is like the wild west, where the most critical safety feature in the vehicle - the driver - is being treated like a guinea pig in human trials with new technologies.'

'The good news is that really well-designed systems offer us the possibility to interact in ways that aren't so distracting,' Professor Strayer said.

'What we continue to see from customers is that they demand this level of technology in their vehicles, that access to music and access to calls is now a critical part of the driving experience and so we're looking at innovative ways to provide that,' said Chevrolet spokeswoman Annalisa Bluhm.

Apple noted in a statement that researchers didn't use the company's CarPlay or Siri Eyes Free, which are designed for use in cars. 

However, Professor Strayer said researchers consulted with Apple before beginning the study. 

The study used an iOS 7 version of Siri that was tweaked to be nearly identical to the iOS 8 version, which was just recently released, he said.

Apple noted in a statement that researchers didn't use the company's CarPlay (stock image shown) or Siri Eyes Free, which are designed for use in cars. However, Professor Strayer said researchers consulted with Apple before beginning the study and used a tweaked version of iOS 7