Forget phones — are you distracted by your car?
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.— So what could possibly be more distracting to drivers than poking out a text message on their cellphones?
Programming the infotainment system in your vehicle, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. And, the study indicates, it’s not even close.
While old-school vehicle entertainment centres were once restricted to simple dashboard knobs and dials, those systems today include sophisticated steering-wheel audio controls, touch screens and hands-free voice control.
The study, which asked 120 young drivers to rate 30 different 2017 model vehicles, found distraction was either “very high” or “high” in 23 models. None of the 30 vehicles was deemed to be “low” in distraction.
Programming a vehicle’s navigation system proved to be the most confounding task, requiring drivers 40 seconds to complete, the study found. A driver going 40 km/h would travel the distance of four football fields in the time it takes to enter a destination.
“Drivers want technology that is safe and easy to use, but many of the features added to infotainment sys- tems today have resulted in overly complex and sometimes frustrating user experiences for drivers,” said Marshall Doney, AAA’s president and chief executive.
On AAA’s scale of distraction programming navigation ranked as “very high” in blurring visual and mental attention. That’s worse than texting while driving, which rated as a high distraction.
Luxury car owners might be most affected by complicated infotainment systems. Among those vehicles determined to place “very high” demands on the motorist were the Volvo XC60 and Tesla Model S.
The Toyota Camry, ranked No.1in car sales in 2016 according to Car and Driver magazine, had a “moderate” distraction level.
AAA said in a statement that it conducted the research to help automakers design entertainment systems with fewer distractions for the driver. Among the recommendations offered by AAA is to lock out features such as text messaging, social media and navigation programming while a vehicle is in motion.