Touchscreen technology is a common feature of modern cars, with manual controls nowadays taking a backseat. And in-car touchscreens are so much more than a screen: they’re a dynamic central interface featuring navigation tools, entertainment, weather updates, and wide device connectivity.
In this study, we’ll look at the danger of in-car touchscreens. Although they make things easier for drivers and are fun additions to the in-car experience, they also represent a significant distraction that frequently causes a driver’s attention to drift from the road.
We’ll consider the detailed data around this issue, how other distractions such as phones worsen the problem, and the extent to which modern car technology causes distraction, crashes, and fatalities.
With Texas currently getting ready to host a number of summer World Cup games, the state is anticipating the high number of additional drivers unfamiliar with its roads passing through, many of whom will be distracted by their reliance on their touchscreen devices for navigation. And one particular study has made some stark discoveries about just how distracting in-car touchscreens can be.
The Many Levels of In-Car Touchscreen Distraction
The University of Washington study (Touchscreens in Motion: Quantifying the Impact of Cognitive Load on Distracted Drivers) involved 16 participants driving simulators while sensors tracked their gaze, finger movements, pupil dilation, and electrodermal activity. While driving, participants were asked to touch specific targets on a 12-inch touch screen.
The study led to a number of troubling discoveries with major implications for drivers using touchscreen features.
- Using a touchscreen means a driver takes their eyes off the road for roughly 5 out of every 20 seconds (compared to only 1 second while using traditional manual controls).
- Beyond taking their eyes from the road, navigating complex, multi-layered touchscreen menus creates measurably high levels of cognitive distraction. For example, the ‘hand-before-eye’ phenomenon (where drivers reach for a control before they look at it) increased from 63% to 71% as memory tasks were introduced.
- Programming touchscreen navigation takes an average of 40 seconds, a distracted period of time during which a car can travel the length of four football fields.
- Using a touchscreen leads to more lane drifting and less control over speed. While interacting with their in-car touchscreen, participants drifted side to side in their lane 42% more often, and moved out of their lane over 40% percent more often.
- Touchscreen accuracy and speed were reduced by more than 58% compared to during non-driving conditions, a number that rose to 75% under high cognitive load (with each glance at the touchscreen also 26.3% shorter under high cognitive load).
Furthermore, researchers have also confirmed that the brain’s ability to process visual information and retain full attention is significantly compromised when drivers are cognitively distracted.
Cognitive distractions caused by using screens can lead to ‘inattention blindness’, which means drivers may subsequently fail to understand or absorb information regarding objects in the road, even when they are looking at them.
Handheld Devices: Further Driver Distraction
Touchscreen distraction extends beyond in-car tech to handheld devices like phones and iPads. A 2024-released U.S. Dept of Transportation study on driver use of electronic devices discovered the following.
- 2.1% of drivers stopped at intersections were talking on hand-held phones.
- If we add self-reported data to officially recorded instances of drivers using phones, federal government estimates rise to 6.4%.
- 3% of drivers were observed using hand-held devices while driving. The rate was highest for drivers estimated to be 16-24 years old (7.7%).
During the fall of 2017, Apple released its Do Not Disturb While Driving feature to curtail drivers from becoming distracted by their phones.
Yet a subsequent IIHS national survey of iPhone owners found that only 1 in 5 had enabled the feature, which is designed to activate automatically when an iPhone owner drives their vehicle.
A distracted driving survey conducted by The Zebra in 2024 asked respondents if they’d done any of the following while driving, with adjusting GPS navigation very close to the top of the list.
| Activity | Percentage who’d done this |
|---|---|
| Talked on the phone while driving | 60.2% |
| Adjusted a GPS device | 59% |
| Ate or drank | 59% |
| Sent/read a text message while driving | 47% |
| Used an app on their phone | 40% |
| Took a photo or recorded a video | 22% |
| Applied some makeup | 11% |
When respondents were queried as to whether they considered texting and driving to be more or less dangerous than drinking and driving, an overall 71% said they thought both activities were equally dangerous.
That said, the responses varied significantly across age demographics, with Gen Z drivers (30%) far more likely than Boomers (10%) to consider drunk driving more serious than texting while driving.
Distracted Driving: A Broad National Measure
2023 NHTSA data provides us with a broad national view of the significance of driver distraction when it comes to accidents and fatalities.
- In 2023, 8% of fatal crashes, 13% of injury crashes, and 13% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes were reported as due to driver distraction.
- Across the year, 3,275 people were killed and an additional 324,819 people were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving distracted drivers.
- 5% of all drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. For drivers aged between 15 and 20 years old, this figure was 7%, making this age group subject to the highest proportion of drivers who were distracted during a fatal crash.
- 611 nonoccupants (pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and others) were also killed due to traffic crashes caused by a distracted driver.
Here’s a look at the number of distracted drivers from different age groups who died in crashes during 2023. The figures clearly show a disproportionate number of fatalities among the 25-44 age group, which emphasizes the extent to which those drivers spend time on the roads, as well as their wide use of devices and touchscreen technology.
For teens, their level of distraction while at the wheel outweighs their comparatively infrequent time spent on U.S. roads.
| Age | Number of fatalities |
|---|---|
| 15-20 | 348 |
| 21-24 | 298 |
| 25-34 | 710 |
| 35-44 | 545 |
| 45-54 | 366 |
| 55-64 | 358 |
| 65-74 | 250 |
| 75+ | 188 |
Beyond these broad national figures, it’s worth considering how Texas fares when it comes to distracted driver crash and fatality numbers, with the aforementioned World Cup a matter of months away.
Touchscreen Tech Is Contributing to Texan Car Crash Numbers
Texas is no exception to national distracted driver trends. The state is currently subject to a rise in distraction-related crashes, with touchscreen technology a key contributor.
2024 Texas crash data shows that 1 in 5 Texan crashes involved a distracted driver, causing 373 fatalities and 2,587 serious injuries. Since 2017, Texas law has prohibited drivers from reading, writing, or sending text messages while driving a motor vehicle. Current distracted driving crash figures suggest more needs to be done to stifle a disturbing trend.
The Future of In-Car Touchscreens
According to the data we’ve compiled in this study, in-car touchscreens can distract drivers to a dangerous degree, potentially leading to crashes and fatalities.
And touchscreens are now a fundamental part of the modern car interior. Much of the contemporary vehicle’s system is often integrated and run via (or in part by using) a touchscreen, and it seems unlikely that this interactive norm will be reversed.
Yet there’s a growing trend that suggests some in-car safety lessons have been learned. Some modern carmakers have begun to reintroduce classic buttons and knobs for both safety and user-friendliness reasons.
As such, these throwback modifications will lead to less driver distraction and confusion. Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Kia are some examples of automakers who’ve moved back to physical buttons for functions such as climate control and hazard lights. Additionally, many carmakers are looking to make screen interfaces more intuitive and user-friendly by introducing voice-activation, voice-commands, and personalized touchscreen displays.
Safety consciousness aside, there are other good reasons to stifle the urge to spend too long using in-car touchscreens. Rising crash rates caused by screen-distracted drivers will inevitably drive up insurance premiums, with insurance rate penalties ranging across states from $87 to $762. Study data from 2024 tells us that a cell phone violation could potentially increase insurance premiums by 21.56%. And for Texas drivers, a texting ticket could incur a 36% insurance premium increase.
Using a touchscreen means a driver takes their eyes off the road for roughly 5 out of every 20 seconds (compared to only 1 second while using traditional manual controls)
So, it’s clear that in-car touch screens are a safety threat. And there are very simple ways drivers can limit the danger they represent. One is to do all relevant checks and program all necessary navigation routes prior to a car journey, so that interaction with dashboard screens is kept to the absolute minimum.
Another is to pull over before using any distracting screens. Ultimately, it’s worth bearing the data this study has uncovered in mind before getting behind the wheel and interacting with in-car touchscreen tech while on the move. Just a couple of seconds of focus taken away from the road can be fatal.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Texas, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. To receive maximum compensation for your damages, it’s important to partner with an experienced car accident lawyer in Texas.
A Texas personal injury lawyer can help you build a strong case, negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for your rights. Don’t wait until it’s too late: contact The Texas Law Dog today for a free legal consultation. We don’t just bark, we bite.
