A new study from the University of Washington, conducted in collaboration with the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), has highlighted the dangers of touchscreens in modern cars.
Infotainment screens have become practically indispensable in contemporary cars. In recent years, few vehicles leave the factories without a multimedia system positioned in the center of the dashboard.
However, while they have introduced several conveniences for drivers, such as the integration of navigation and multimedia applications, the new research highlights that they can pose significant risks to driver safety.
For the study, researchers placed 16 participants in a simulator. They had to touch targets on a 12-inch touchscreen, similar to those used in current cars, while taking memory tests that simulated the cognitive load of real traffic.
Using sensors to monitor eye and hand movements and physiological signals related to mental effort, the scientists found that as participants interacted with the screen, lateral deviation in the lane increased by 42%.
Meanwhile, tapping accuracy and speed decreased by 58% while driving and worsened further as mental load increased. Performance didn’t improve even as the button size increased.
According to researchers, many drivers reach for the screen before even looking at it. For this reason, it would be ideal for automakers to focus on implementing simple eye-tracking sensors to measure driver attention in future models.
This way, the interface could adapt in real time, highlighting essential commands and reducing distractions, thus increasing safety when using touchscreens while driving.
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
