Skip to main content

Study: Motorists using Apple CarPlay are more distracted than drunk drivers

Driving while impaired is often vilified as the most dangerous thing to do on four wheels, but a recent study suggests using infotainment software like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay reduces a driver’s reaction time more than booze or pot. United Kingdom-based road safety advocate group IAM RoadSmart wants the government to take action.

The group pointed out the average driver’s reaction time is about a second; that means when the car in front slams on its brakes, it’s going to take a full second for the person following it to do the same. That figure increases by 12% when someone takes the wheel after reaching the legal alcohol limit, and by 21% when a person drives after smoking or eating cannabis. Using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay increased the reaction time by 53% and 57%, respectively.

Recommended Videos

Researchers discovered motorists who incessantly poke their car’s touchscreen to access a feature buried deep in either software increase their car’s stopping distance by between four and five car lengths, and they can take their eyes off the road for up to 16 seconds at a time without realizing it.

“Participants underestimated by as much as five seconds the time they thought they spent looking away from the road when engaging with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay via touch control,” the study alarmingly found. It added using voice instead of touch commands significantly reduced distractions, but not to acceptable levels; reaction times nonetheless increased by 30% and 36% for Google and Apple’s software, respectively. To add context, talking on the phone increases reaction times by 46%.

Distracted driving graph
IAM RoadSmart

The results are startling, especially if you regularly bike, run, or walk on a public road. Researchers conducting the study witnessed drivers swerve out of their lane by up to 21 inches while trying to use Android Auto’s navigation function. Those performing the same task using Apple CarPlay moved out of their lane by up to 20 inches.

“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,” IAM RoadSmart concluded. The British government hasn’t commented on the study, though, to be fair, it’s juggling Brexit negotiations and a global pandemic.

British firm research firm TRL conducted the study on behalf of IAM RoadSmart, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among other events), and the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund. It asked participants to drive the same simulated test loop three times: once without using either system, once while using only voice commands, and once while using only the touchscreen.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
GM plans to phase out Apple CarPlay for EVs, go all-in on Android integration
Interior of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV.

General Motors plans to stop using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone connectivity in future EVs in favor of infotainment systems developed with Google based on the company's tech. First reported by Reuters, the move is surprising given the popularity of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which allow users to project content from smartphones onto a car's touchscreen, bypassing the native infotainment systems.

GM's decision to stop offering these systems on future EVs, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, could help the automaker capture more customer data, Reuters noted, providing insight into how vehicles are used. But it will likely be detrimental to the user experience, as customers will have to learn to use built-in infotainment systems, rather than the smartphone interfaces they're used to.

Read more
This $3 USB adapter fixed all of my Apple CarPlay connection problems
iPhone with USB-C cable and USB-A adapter.

I bought a new Jeep last year and was obviously adamant that it had CarPlay. It was also the first car I owned with a touch screen for CarPlay, which is a nice change of pace. But in the first couple of weeks of driving, I was increasingly frustrated: even though I was using a wired USB connection, my CarPlay kept disconnecting. Sporadically, and frequently.

I tried different phones. I tried using an official Apple Lightning cable -- USB-A and USB-C, as my car has both -- as well as various styles and lengths of third-party cables. Nothing worked. And then, I found an inexplicable fix: using a simple .

Read more
Apple CarPlay feature to offer an easy way to pay for fuel
Apple CarPlay interface

Apple is developing a new CarPlay feature that will let drivers pay for gas via their vehicle’s dashboard.

The feature was quietly unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in early June but went unreported until now.

Read more