Photo: YouTube screenshot
Cars have been getting more and more complicated, and while the dashboard button-count has been going down, quite the opposite can be said about the number of functions a modern vehicle's infotainment system can take care of.
From a simple radio, the in-car entertainment options have grown significantly, to the point where the "infotainment" term was coined. Aside from satnav and music, the latest models will even include the climate controls into the vehicle's media system, making that screen the undisputed epicenter of the car.
With so much information available at all times, things can get confusing or even overwhelming for the driver. We've probably all experience it at some point: you're going through a new area following the satnav instructions, the phone starts ringing and there's a junction coming up where you're supposed to go "half-right" but can't figure out where that is. The stress is so high that you're close to pulling over and hopping on a bicycle instead.
Two forces are colliding here: the first is the lawmakers, who are trying to keep us safe at the wheel by taking several measures, such as banning the use of the phone at the wheel. The second one is made out of tech and car companies, who are constantly finding ways of going around those rules to give you access to all the features you like while driving. And the latter appear to be winning
The American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety asked researchers from the University of Utah to look into this information overload that the modern driver deals with by having them perform various tasks in 30 new 2017 cars. Unsurprisingly, the findings do not bode well for traffic safety.
It would appear the most difficult thing you can do while driving is programming the good old satnav system. Despite being around for years, carmakers still haven't found a simple-enough solution to punching in an address. On average, it took the subjects around 40 seconds to complete the task. 40 seconds in which their attention was split between the road and the screen in who knows what ratio.
Perhaps the most interesting snippet of information provided by the study - because the conclusion will surely not surprise anyone - is the chart showing which vehicles' infotainment systems were the most demanding on the driver.
Out of the 30 models studied, none managed to produce a low demand, only seven registered a low level of attention needed while the rest were either highly (11), or very highly (12) demanding. The seven who got the best score were found in the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford F-250, Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, Lincoln MKC, and Toyotas Camry, Corolla, and Sienna.
At the other end of the table sit the Audi Q7, Chrysler 300 C, Dodge Durango, Ford Mustang GT, GMC Yukon, Honda Civic Touring, Honda Ridgeline, Mzda3 Touring, Nissan Armada, Subaru Crosstrek, Tesla Molde S, and Volvo XC60.
At the end of the day, there's not much the regulators can do about it, and it's down to every driver to realize when fiddling with the infotainment system on the move is too dangerous and either give up or pull over before going through with it. You're not exactly disarming a bomb, but under certain circumstances it could have a fatal outcome just as well.
With so much information available at all times, things can get confusing or even overwhelming for the driver. We've probably all experience it at some point: you're going through a new area following the satnav instructions, the phone starts ringing and there's a junction coming up where you're supposed to go "half-right" but can't figure out where that is. The stress is so high that you're close to pulling over and hopping on a bicycle instead.
Two forces are colliding here: the first is the lawmakers, who are trying to keep us safe at the wheel by taking several measures, such as banning the use of the phone at the wheel. The second one is made out of tech and car companies, who are constantly finding ways of going around those rules to give you access to all the features you like while driving. And the latter appear to be winning
The American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety asked researchers from the University of Utah to look into this information overload that the modern driver deals with by having them perform various tasks in 30 new 2017 cars. Unsurprisingly, the findings do not bode well for traffic safety.
It would appear the most difficult thing you can do while driving is programming the good old satnav system. Despite being around for years, carmakers still haven't found a simple-enough solution to punching in an address. On average, it took the subjects around 40 seconds to complete the task. 40 seconds in which their attention was split between the road and the screen in who knows what ratio.
Perhaps the most interesting snippet of information provided by the study - because the conclusion will surely not surprise anyone - is the chart showing which vehicles' infotainment systems were the most demanding on the driver.
Out of the 30 models studied, none managed to produce a low demand, only seven registered a low level of attention needed while the rest were either highly (11), or very highly (12) demanding. The seven who got the best score were found in the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford F-250, Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, Lincoln MKC, and Toyotas Camry, Corolla, and Sienna.
At the other end of the table sit the Audi Q7, Chrysler 300 C, Dodge Durango, Ford Mustang GT, GMC Yukon, Honda Civic Touring, Honda Ridgeline, Mzda3 Touring, Nissan Armada, Subaru Crosstrek, Tesla Molde S, and Volvo XC60.
At the end of the day, there's not much the regulators can do about it, and it's down to every driver to realize when fiddling with the infotainment system on the move is too dangerous and either give up or pull over before going through with it. You're not exactly disarming a bomb, but under certain circumstances it could have a fatal outcome just as well.
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