Touchscreen infotainment distracts more than assists, research suggests

Recent research suggests that in-car tech is becoming more distracting for drivers. In fact, sometimes it could be as distracting as looking at Waze causing your car to overturn. The research also suggests that nearly half of all fatal and serious injury accidents are caused by driver distraction and inattention.

Modern cars nowadays have larger touchscreens where most of the in-car functions are buried inside of it. Simple functions like climate control takes one extra click just to change the fan speed is not exactly a quick thing to do when you’re on the road, leaving the driver having to take a second glance at the touchscreen just for confirmation.

Although modern cars now have systems such as ADAS that uses radars and cameras to compensate our lack of attention on the road. Nevertheless, these systems are so focused on warning and alerting us if we stray over a white line but it doesn’t demand us to take a break after we’re miles away from the nearest service area.

Also read: What is ADAS and why do we need them in our cars?

Did you know that there is evidence to suggest that modern cars are now more likely to be involved in road accidents particularly at junctions or when joining traffic as these are situations where the driver may be distracted – maybe adjusting the in-car function that’s buried inside the car’s touchscreen.

One may argue that modern cars have voice recognition that can help you change the climate control settings but let's be real, how often do you actually use it?

“There’s a subtle yet significant difference between an interface that offers a slick window onto a digital world and one that buries basic functionality at the centre of a labyrinth,” said Blackie.

The Euro NCAP has started to implement the Occupant Status Monitoring (OSM) category whereby from 2023 onwards, all vehicles will need to have a direct driver monitor so that if the driver is distracted, the system will dole out warnings. – This can potentially solve the issue of in-car functions that are buried inside the touchscreen menu.

Of course ADAS is capable of calculating a potential accident before our eyes can, but there are plenty of factors to take into consideration before ADAS is 100% effective. A good example is, if your radar sensors or cameras are hindered by some sort of dirt or bird-poop, these advanced safety features wouldn't work. 

“If we’re to expect drivers to be able to resume control should an assistance feature not perform as expected, understanding both physical and cognitive distraction is only going to become more important,” Blackie concludes.