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How distracting is your car's tech?
Drivers can test their car's infotainment system and find out which tasks can't be done safely while driving.
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Drivers can test their car's infotainment system and find out which tasks can't be done safely while driving.
Published
3 min read
Text size
Published
Text size
Motorists can now get an assessment of how distracting their car’s infotainment system is, based on ground-breaking research into driver distraction.
A just-released online Driver Distraction Tool allows drivers to input details about how their car’s system responds to common tasks, such as making a phone call, navigating or putting on music, and get an evaluation of which are the most distracting to do while driving.
The tool, from the Australian Automobile Association, is based on the first study of its kind into infotainment systems in Australian cars, with 12 selected to represent the national passenger car fleet.
Funded by the RAC and interstate clubs, it found some systems are significantly more distracting than others.
University of Newcastle researchers tested drivers with technology such as eye tracking glasses, as they used ten in-car systems in models including BMW, Toyota and Tesla, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Audio.
The study developed a process to measure the level of distraction, by counting the steps taken to complete a task. It concluded that each extra step – a touchscreen tap, button press, steering wheel control, voice command or having to repeat an instruction – increased distraction exponentially, with each demanding more attention than the one before.
Under the study’s rating framework, one or two steps was considered to have a very low impact, while 5-6 steps was moderately distracting. Anything above nine steps was deemed unsafe and above 11 was extremely distracting.
The worst-scoring infotainment system took five times as many steps on average as the best-performing one, meaning the driver’s eyes were predicted to be off the road for around six seconds per task, compared with a little over one second.
Of the 12 systems, seven took an average of fewer than five steps. Four required 5-7 and one almost 11 steps.
RAC Manager Vehicles and Fuels Alex Forrest said the research showed a direct link between the number of steps a task took and how long the driver’s eyes were off the road.
“Driver distraction is a significant road safety issue in WA. Alongside speed and fatigue, inattention is among the key risky driving behaviours that contribute to road crashes resulting in death or serious injury,” he said.
“Infotainment distraction can also include things like the response time and positioning of the screen, along with the size, clarity, sensitivity and configuration of on-screen buttons.”
“Any task that takes your eyes off the road for longer than a quick glance should be done before you start driving, while safely pulled over, or done by a front seat passenger.
"If you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds at 60km/h, you've travelled 33 metres blind."
The AAA hopes drivers will use the tool to understand which tasks are most distracting in their own car and take proactive action, such as pre-programming locations before leaving.
“Navigation tasks tend to be especially demanding, and we strongly recommend drivers set this up before they get moving," said Mr Forrest.
The findings reinforce that not all in-car functions can be used safely while driving and highlights the importance of designing systems that minimise distraction.
The Driver Distraction Tool is available at aaa.asn.au/distracted-driving-test and the full report is on the AAA website.
The research project team included Professor Kristen Pammer, Dr Rachael Wynne, Dr Angus McKerral and Dr Jon-Paul Cavallaro, and was undertaken by the University of Newcastle in conjunction with ABMARC and Red Scientific.
