Touch Screens in Cars: Helpful or Dangerous?

Most of the advanced technology in cars is made to keep you safer, but touch screens in cars seem to be causing problems for drivers.

Every year we see cars with larger screens in the middle of the dashboard and fewer physical buttons and knobs. While this offers us a sleek and less intrusive appearance inside the car, it could offer us a more dangerous deriving system. It’s probably a good thing all of those electronic eyes are watching out for you; it takes you longer to find the menu you need on your touch screen than you might think.

Distractions Everywhere You Look and Technology is One of Them

Some driving purists had tried to pass on the idea that we were safer on the road when there weren’t any electronics. Of course, in the old days, before automatic transmissions, both hands had to be on something, both feet were involved in the driving process, and you needed to focus on the road. Today, you still need to focus on the road, but the birth of some of our technology allows us to do some driving without our hands or feet on the pedals or wheels for short periods.

We are Our Own Worst Enemies

Some of the distractions we cause ourselves during our time behind the wheel include:

• Eating
• Drinking
• Talking on the phone
• Applying makeup
• Reading
• Using the touchscreen

These are just a few of the most common distractions you’ll find during your drive. If you have kids, they add a few more to your time behind the wheel. Almost every drive has some form of distraction means that your attention could end up somewhere else when it should be on the road.

What About the Touch Screens?

Automakers work to make our cars safer to drive by filling them with electronic nannies, making them more dangerous. The touch screens in cars have grown from small, basic models that connect using Bluetooth to systems that do everything. Some vehicles have so many controls built into the central screen in the dashboard that you can’t do much of anything without reaching over to use the screen. Some might ask, “what’s the big deal” because they think it only takes a second to make changes or adjust things on the road, but studies show something different.

How Long Does it Take to Change Music?

Unless you program a playlist that you love to listen to whenever you’re out on the road, you’ll likely change your music a few times during each drive. You might think it only takes a few seconds to change from one playlist to another, but the actual time measured in studies shows that it takes more than 14 seconds to make this change. That’s an incredibly long time to have your attention away from the road, especially if it’s consecutive and not broken up with some time looking at the road.

Do We Need Faster Touch Screens?

Automakers think the answer to some of the problems is to continue to add more speed to the responsiveness of the screens in the middle of the dashboard. That might be a problem, but a faster screen should only mean that selections are made sooner, not that drivers can make quicker decisions. An entirely different issue must be addressed to make it safer to use these screens while driving. We shouldn’t use these screens while driving, but we all know there are ways around that.

How do We Get Around Safeguards?

Some touch screens have built-in safeguards that don’t allow the driver to make inputs but ask if you’re the passenger in the car. Unless the vehicle has a sensor with communication to the touchscreen that tells it whether a passenger is in the front seat or not, anyone can get around this safeguard. This item aims to keep drivers from using their touch screens in their cars while driving. These lockouts aren’t effective or capable of keeping you out of the menus while driving.

Should Automakers go Back to Buttons and Dials for Some Controls?

The development of the infotainment systems takes away many of the functions of a vehicle that used to be handled by various buttons and knobs. This means several menus inside the system control different parts of the car. It can take a while to fumble through these menus and find the one you need when trying to change the temperature or the volume level. It’s even worse when you can’t find the song you want to enjoy during your time behind the wheel, and you spend several seconds looking for it.

Some Reviewers Show Their Admiration for Buttons

When reading some of the reviews of vehicles, you’ll find that various professionals in the auto world admire cars that bring buttons and dials back to the market. Because controls are easier to find, these reviewers can see the benefits of keeping attention on the road and hands on the wheel. While some drivers prefer to see their dashboard without any buttons, this doesn’t allow the vehicle to be safer. The opposite is true, and dashboards without controls make the car more dangerous.

Can’t These Controls be Programmed into the Steering Wheel?

Some vehicles have audio controls built into the steering wheel; others have cruise control functions in the rotation, and some have both. There’s only so much room on the steering wheel for the controls you want at your fingertips. Everything you need during your drive cannot be added to the steering wheel. This means the touch screens in cars continue to give us the controls we need, but they make finding what you want when you scroll through various menus. Automakers are in a tough spot because many drivers don’t want more buttons and dials, but touch screens cause distractions.

What’s the Answer?

The best way to deal with the fact that most of the controls you need are programmed into the touchscreen is through a bit of self-discipline. It would help if you connected to your infotainment system, set your destination, and que up your playlist before heading out for your drive. This is also when you should set the temperature in the cabin for your drive. Besides setting all the items you need before leaving your driveway, you’ll want to avoid added distractions. You can’t slow down technology, but you can control how you allow it to distract you during your time on the road.