AAA Study Claims That High Tech Dash You Love May Kill You

A couple of weeks ago, the AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety released what’s becoming an annual study of car infotainment systems, or, as I like to call it, The “your dashboard display is going to kill you eventually” study. Most of the headlines from the study, conducted with researchers from the University Of Utah, announced that car infotainment systems that work in conjunction with Android Auto or Apple Play are safer than “native” in-dash car tech. This is terrific news, until you dig a little deeper into the results.

This year’s study piggybacked onto last year’s alarming results, adding new cars. Infotainment systems that required “very high” demand from drivers include the BMW 430i xDrive convertible, The Buick Enclave Leather (whose sexy name alone is extremely distracting), and the Nissan Rogue SV. But even the cars that did well in the study, like the Chevy Silverado and Kia Sportage, require a moderate amount of demand. In the end, it doesn’t really matter whether or not you can mind-meld Siri into the dash of your Ram 1500 Laramie. Infotainment systems are still not safe.

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MDarringer - 7/10/2018 4:10:18 PM

+3 Boost

Eyes off the road...

TomM - 7/11/2018 6:55:21 AM

+3 Boost

The INFO system in the Buick and the Chevy Truck are likely to be approximately the same - does not make sense that it is easier in the Chevy than the Buick.

However - Most people do not address the Info system that much - most trips in cars are regularly performed - so the need for direction is not there most of the time. - Most people also have their favorite Radio Channels (Even Satellite) and newer cars have switches on the Steering wheel to move around.

I have found that people who think we are using these things ALL THE TIME - are grossly overstating the reality.

MDarringer - 7/11/2018 8:57:38 AM

0 Boost

So you live where there is (1) a concentration of Model 3s on the road, with (2) mindless snowflake unicorns watching Harry Potter? #BayAreaIdiocy

SanJoseDriver - 7/24/2018 11:35:37 AM

+1 Boost

Harry Potter happened in Florida. Crash % has not been any higher on S/X/3 than peer cars despite the screens. You get used to it pretty fast and then there is no going back to a traditional UI.