Are car touch screens potentially dangerous for drivers?

Easy to use, “smart”, sometimes impressive, but also potentially dangerous for drivers seem to be the touch screens in modern cars.

Touch screens may be designed to restrict the use of mobile phones, to provide instant car status information to the driver, to inform him, to assist him in finding locations, to regulate cabin temperature and to entertain him, but studies show that they can be distracting. Both mentally and visually. This proves to be a dangerous combination for causing accidents.

Drivers who keep their eyes off the road and their hands off the steering wheel, for whatever reason, are responsible for causing the accident. While driving, it is a good idea for the driver to think about working with the touch screens on the go and to show responsibility whenever he is behind the wheel.

In recent years there has been a tendency for touch screens to increase in size and popularity. Researchers from the University of Utah worked with the American Automobile Association to assess drivers and their levels of attention when using touch screens. They chose 30 different vehicle models with different screens. Drivers were asked to tune in to the radio, use the navigation system, make a phone call, and send a voice text message. The vehicles that took part were graded based on the attention requirement they required to perform these tasks. Of all the cars (including SUVs), all models were quite distracting to the driver and 23 of them required a high or very high operator attention requirement.

The driver while driving in case he deals with the touch screen mentally moves away from driving, leaves the steering wheel with one hand and takes his eyes off the road.

Studies show that a driver can look away from the road safely for only one or two seconds. One should think that it takes about five seconds for the driver to read or send a short text message. Connecting the mobile phone or changing the radio station to a vehicle touch screen may take a few seconds. All this time he drives without paying much attention to the road.

The impact of technology on road deaths and injuries is being discussed by the UK Department for Transport (DfT). Ministers are concerned that, while accident rates have been steadily declining until 2010, the last decade has seen an increase in accident rates. One of the issues being explored is the role that touch screens could play in cars.

In addition to distracting infotainment screens and their potential impact on road safety, DfT will look at how technology can be used proactively to enforce traffic legislation. That is, to use special cameras that will detect drivers who use their mobile phones. Volvo is considering installing technology in its cars, with the ultimate goal of changing driver behavior.

In fact, some high-tech cars now have not one but two touch screens, as well as a separate digital display instead of the traditional dashboard dials, while the front seat occupants are sometimes served by a fourth display. However, not all manufacturers agree with this development. Mazda has said it is moving away from touch screens altogether or is considering reducing them as research has shown that they help distract the driver.

All this when current road accident statistics show that there is a large use of mobile phones by drivers while driving, while over 50% of drivers in the UK admit to exceeding the speed limit.

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