Warning, danger! The new multimedia systems can reduce driving safety more than alcohol or cannabis

Proven: the new infotainment systems can impair the driver’s reaction time even more than the effects of alcohol or cannabis consumption.

A recent study published by IAM RoadSmart, an independent UK organisation dedicated to Road Safety, reveals worrying data that contradicts another related study which concluded that systems such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are less distracting than the systems installed in the car as standard.

Five times more dangerous than the legal alcohol limit

Now, the IAM RoadSmart study reveals how the new infotainment systems are affecting drivers’ performance. And not only because of having to operate touchscreens, but also because of the overwhelming number of functions they integrate.

In the study, drivers who took part in the test showed slower reaction times due to the use of these systems than those measured in a driver who has consumed cannabis. And up to five times worse than that of a driver who exceeds the legal alcohol consumption limit!

Driver distraction is estimated to be a factor present in around a third of all road collisions occurring each year in Europe

Translated to the road, this means that when travelling at the legal speed on a motorway, the reaction time of a driver distracted by these systems can increase the stopping distance by the equivalent of the length of five cars.

The study also reveals that drivers can take their eyes off the road for a total of up to 16 seconds while driving. In that time, at motorway cruising speed, a car travels about 500 metres. Another important finding: using touch control causes reaction times even worse than writing a text message while driving.

For the study, three simulated test routes were carried out in which drivers did not interact with the vehicle, did so only using voice control or, in the third case, by touch control. This last method proved to be the one that caused the most distraction among drivers.

Although many perceive that distraction and reduce their speed, touch operation remains dangerous, as it reduces the safety distance from the vehicle in front, causes lane drifting, or slower reactions to any unexpected event.

Some conclusions of the study

These are some of the findings of the IAM SmartRoad study, a report of more than 50 pages, which you can download (in English) here.

• When interacting with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, especially using touch control, the driver shows difficulty maintaining a constant speed, lane position and distance from the vehicle ahead.
• While interacting with multimedia systems, drivers’ reaction times to a stimulus can become up to 50% slower.
• Reaction time was slower when selecting music through Spotify using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay via touch control instead of voice control
• Using touch control to operate any system made drivers take their eyes off the road for more than 12 seconds.
• Drivers underestimated the time they were not paying attention to driving, reaching up to 5 seconds while interacting with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via touch control.

Our recommendation: use voice control

At Top10motor we have been saying in many of our road tests of new models that many brands’ push towards digitalisation and touchscreens sometimes works against safety. Depending on the case, it is harder to operate a touchscreen for certain functions than to navigate a menu on a touchscreen, which forces you to take your eyes off the road… unless you resort to voice control.

In fact, some brands such as Mazda already announced in mid-last year that they were giving up touchscreens to prioritise physical buttons. Screens are kept, as we have seen in the road test of the Mazda CX-30. But placed in a distant, elevated position so that it can be consulted quickly without having to look away from the road ahead. And the screen is controlled with the steering wheel controls, or from a central controller.

We support the use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But not as an extension of our smartphone in the car, except in very specific and very useful applications, such as a navigator. And always using them with common sense, trying not to operate the systems while driving.

Our recommendation is that drivers use these systems in the safest way possible, configuring all connection parameters with the vehicle before setting off, and resorting to voice control whenever possible.