Study: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto make driving more dangerous than cannabis or beer

MANILA: Oh, the irony of ironies! A new study shows that the device controller apps developed to make driving safer for you and I actually are the number-one causes of distraction, which may lead to road crashes and accidents.

The research, commissioned by the United Kingdom’s largest independent road-safety charity, indicates that when using the touchscreen system for apps like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, driver reaction times when driving at expressway speeds went up and increased average stopping distances to four or five car lengths. It also showed that drivers took their eyes off the road for as long as 16 seconds while driving at close to 140kph. Reaction times were even worse than simply texting while driving.

“While previous research indicates that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto perform better than more traditional buttons and controls, the results from this latest study raise some serious concerns about the development and use of the latest in-vehicle infotainment systems. Anything that distracts a driver’s eyes or mind from the road is bad news for road safety. We’re now calling on industry and government to openly test and approve such systems and develop consistent standards that genuinely help minimize driver distraction,” said research director Neil Greig.

During the tests done for the study, drivers were asked to complete a series of three runs on the same simulated test route to see the level of impact by Auto and CarPlay. Drivers didn’t interact with the system on the first run. They then used voice only on the second run and then touch controls only on the third run.

Both voice and touch methods were found to have significantly distracted drivers, but touch proved to be the worst of the two. Drivers using touch controls adjusted by slowing down but it was it was evident that they could not maintain a constant distance to the vehicle in front, reacted more slowly to sudden changes on the road, and went outside of the lane markings.

The key findings from the report are:

• Controlling the vehicle’s position in the lane and keeping a consistent speed and headway to the vehicle in front suffered significantly when interacting with either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, particularly when using touch control
• Participants failed to react as often to a stimulus on the road ahead when engaging with either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay – with reaction times being more than 50% slower
• Reaction time to a stimulus on the road ahead was slower when selecting music through Spotify while using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (via touch control rather than voice control), compared to texting while driving (based on previous studies)
• Use of either system via touch control caused drivers to take their eyes off the road for longer than 12 seconds. This does not meet the guidelines set out by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). When using voice control all measures were within NHTSA guidelines
• Participants underestimated the time they thought they spent looking away from the road, by as much as five seconds, when engaging with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay via touch control

“Most participants in the study report they use touch rather than voice control in real world driving. As the results clearly show, this is the most distracting, so if there is a need to use the systems while on the go, voice control is a far safer method,” added Neil.