Do Infotainment Systems Affect Road Safety?

How Infotainment Systems and Touchscreens Influence Safety on the Road

It’s really surprising how many products we use every day without a second thought, especially the ones in our cars. This includes experiences like immersive monitors and smartphone connections, toying with the most obvious car instruments, all in a world where people want the best of everything. Most can agree that the digital age has transformed how we drive. A slight design or tech update can create an entirely new driving experience. 

And while we should consider ourselves lucky to have new technology to help us on the move, we might be missing the bigger picture. For instance, when you put aside the gadgets and gizmos, road safety in South Africa still lacks attention, from NCAP safety ratings to the advanced driving features. 

While new tech may seem super exciting at first, one risk factor we’re seeing linked to vehicles and road safety doesn’t just lie in the technology. It may play a small role, but that’s not the main culprit (which comes later). 

We’re talking about the digital box, your infotainment system and touchscreen display. 

What is a Car Infotainment System? 

An infotainment system is the car’s software hub, providing access to a range of commands via the car’s touchscreen display. This little innovative feature, introduced within the last decade) has turned an old dashboard of knobs and controls into a system that can respond to multiple requests by swiping or tapping.

Believe it or not, the very first “infotainment system” (not as we know it today) was introduced in an American Buick Riviera model around 1986, measuring only 3-inches wide and 4-inches high. It was incredibly unpopular at the time of its debut, as drivers deemed it “too distracting”, and it was discontinued around 1990.

Do we know which automaker was the first to install a digital infotainment system?  It depends on the definition, i.e., whether it’s the screen itself or the technology. Some believe it was the 2000 BMW 7 Series and its iDrive system, while others say it wasn’t until 2007 and 2008 that the Ford Sync 1.0 revolutionised smart driving.

Despite the history, progress is speeding up. The latest Tesla models now feature monitors measuring up to 17-inches, installed with an operating system beyond our everyday comprehension. For the control fans, you can forget about them unless you’re willing to hold on to vehicles older than our parents. 

Are Touchscreen Monitors Distracting? 

Drivers are increasingly treating their cars like their mobile phones, whether they’re selecting a route on Google Maps or making a quick WhatsApp call.  And as creative and convenient as this all is, if using a smartphone is considered a distraction and illegal, shouldn’t using the car’s touchscreen be treated the same way? (Obviously, a voice assistant is a different story). But that’s not all. 

South Africa’s AA CEO, Bobby Ramagwede, has his own reservations about digital cabins.  He told local media, “Digital innovation must improve safety, not undermine it. We are increasingly concerned that when essential controls are buried in touchscreen menus, distraction rises and accidents follow.” 

He emphasised that, “South African motorists already face demanding driving conditions, so vehicle design should prioritise simple access to safety-critical functions to ensure technology supports the driver. If it complicates the driving task, designers need to go back to the drawing board.”

With South Africa’s road conditions, traffic stats, and driving behaviour, it seems that it’s not always in the driver’s best interest to go completely digital.

How it Impacts Safety on the Road

How does this technology affect road safety, and is it as big a distraction as we think? 

In the zeitgeist that we currently find ourselves in, a very nostalgic one, we’d go back to designs that prioritise function over comfort and convenience, from the “must-have” touchscreen to basic controls? How many of us would actually say yes? Surprisingly, a great deal.  

Generations of people have managed commute traditions like: organising a cabin full of controls, screaming kids, no airbags, no voice assistant, the chore of changing CDs, and passing the auxiliary cord. One could say that the “progress” in auto innovation helped build our multitasking skills from behind the wheel. 

Decades later, we’re seeing people buy new cars at a much faster rate, more than ever before. And as the trends continued, we’ve had to adapt our driving to each new facelift or update that arrives in showrooms, becoming complacent in the process.

To add to existing concerns, South Africa’s most reported fatal accidents include:

• Distraction
• Excessive speeding
• Drunk driving
• Reckless driving
• Weather
• Poor road conditions

With an average of 12,000 to 14,000 road fatalities annually (40 per day), well above the global average, we can see that the biggest problem is driving behaviour – not the technology. 

Even by international standards, motorists are getting a bit too comfortable.

The Bottom Line: Managing Safety in the Digital Age

As one Car mag article puts it, “Are infotainment screens becoming too big and complex to use safely? Could they pose the same risk as texting from a  smartphone?” 

Operating infotainment systems may be just as dangerous as using a smartphone behind the wheel, even if they are built into the vehicle. The lesson to remember here is that driving starts with the occupant, not the technology – the fewer distractions, the better.  

That said, get up to speed with some of the best defensive driving tips and learn about the benefits of taking an advanced driving course. Plus, are you guilty of the worst driving habits?