High Risk Infotainment

It is estimated that one third of American drivers drive personal vehicles with sophisticated infotainment systems.  These systems often have the ability to: check virtually every operating system in the car, access phone lists via Bluetooth connectivity with smart phones, make and receive calls, have texts/social media relayed by an audio translator, have access to a litany of radio/satellite/web-driven channels and subscription services, be able to listen to music stored on digital devices (that same smart phone being one), surf the Web, find a gas station or a restaurant or cool place of interest, cry for help, get a map to and from anywhere, analyze traffic congestion, etc., etc.

Whether the input comes from a touch screen, a knob with a lot of buttons or some other sophisticated interactive device (like voice control), it offers the driver an amazing array of choices… and distractions. It is bad enough that such distractions can maim or kill the driver and passengers of vehicles so-equipped… but they also can take more than a few innocents who are just “out there” minding their own business.

While most states have focused on limiting or banning the hands-on use of smart phones for any reason – from checking emails, texting, accessing apps or just plain holding the device and using it as a telephone (imagine that) – any distraction, however short, can lead to a fatal crash. On October 5^th, the AAA Foundation issued its report on the impact of in-vehicle technology on driving and drivers… and the obvious risks. Here are some of the highlights of that study:

“Drivers using in-vehicle technologies like voice-based and touch screen features were visually and mentally distracted for more than 40 seconds when completing tasks like programming navigation or sending a text message. Removing eyes from the road for just two seconds doubles the risk for a crash, according to previous research…

“The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety commissioned researchers from the University of Utah to examine the visual (eyes off road) and cognitive (mental) demand as well as the time it took drivers to complete a task using the infotainment systems in 30 new 2017 vehicles. Study participants were required to use voice command, touch screen and other interactive technologies to make a call, send a text message, tune the radio or program navigation, all while driving down the road.

“Programming navigation was the most distracting task, taking an average of 40 seconds for drivers to complete. When driving at 25 mph [who drives 25 mph, by the way], a driver can travel the length of four football fields during the time it could take to enter a destination in navigation--all while distracted from the important task of driving. Programming navigation while driving was available in 12 of the 30 vehicle systems tested…

“According to a new AAA public opinion survey, nearly 70 percent of U.S. adults say that they want the new technology in their vehicle, but only 24 percent feel that the technology already works perfectly…. ‘Some of the latest systems on the market now include functions unrelated to the core task of driving like sending text messages, checking social media or surfing the web -- tasks we have no business doing behind the wheel,’ [said Marshall Doney, AAA's president and CEO, adding,] ‘Automakers should aim to reduce distractions by designing systems that are no more visually or mentally demanding than listening to the radio or an audiobook. And drivers should avoid the temptation to engage with these technologies, especially for non-driving tasks’…

“Researchers found that most infotainment systems tested could easily be made safer by simply following clearly stated federal recommendations such as locking out text messaging, social media and programming navigation while the car is in motion.” AAA Foundation Report. Some manufacturers have implemented some of these changes, even adding the option for a head-up display, reflecting the information on the windshield. But as the demand for more features grows, it seems a perfect time for the obvious going-forward solution to this distracting phenomenon: driverless cars where infotainment just keeps the “driver” from getting bored.

I’m Peter Dekom, and in a hurry-up, time-impaired world, the urge to multitask can be overwhelming sometimes… but then….