Recent Study Shows That Touchscreens In Cars Are Dangerous

Touchscreens have become a central element of car interiors in recent years. From multimedia and navigation to climate and security settings, it is increasingly moving to digital menus. Manufacturers like to tout such an approach as a technological advance, but new research shows that the price of that trend may be safety.

The study was conducted by the University of Washington, the Toyota Research Institute, and the results were published in a scientific journal dedicated to user interfaces. The researchers wanted to quantify what drivers have long instinctively felt: that using a touchscreen while driving seriously impairs the ability to control the vehicle.

The research involved 16 subjects who drove in a highly realistic simulator, while at the same time they had to perform common tasks via the central screen, such as changing music, managing messages, or adjusting settings. Scientists monitored eye and hand movements, pupil dilation, and skin changes associated with stress and mental strain.

The results were very clear. As soon as the attention shifts to the screen, the precision and speed of handling the vehicle drop by more than 50 percent, while at the same time, the quality of the ride noticeably weakens. Lane departures increased by more than 40 percent, and driver reactions became slower and more uncertain. It is important to stress the basic functions that manufacturers expect to be used while driving, and not about extreme distractions like typing messages.

The key problem is not only that the screen demands a glance but also the cognitive load. Actions that were once performed “by heart” with one turn of a button today require visual inspection, menu reading, and decision-making. Eyes, hands, and the brain are overloaded at the same time.

The researchers are not calling for a full return to analogue controls, aware that screens are cheap, flexible, and attractive to manufacturers. Instead, they propose more concrete solutions, such as placing frequently used functions in a clearly accessible place on the screen, larger and clearer virtual buttons, and a system that recognizes the high mental load of the driver and temporarily limits secondary functions.

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