The way drivers interact with cars has changed fundamentally in recent years. Physical buttons and controls gradually disappeared from dashboards, while more and more functions were moved to touch screens. Although such an approach gives the impression of a modern and technologically advanced vehicle, there is more and more scientific evidence that it can endanger traffic safety.
Screens in cars have existed since the eighties of the last century, but modern models today combine far more functions on them, to the extent that the vehicle often acts as a computer on wheels. This is precisely why ANCAP Safety, an independent vehicle safety assessment program in Australia and New Zealand, has announced that from 2026 it will require manufacturers to return physical buttons and switches for key controls, such as lights and wipers. Similar initiatives have already been launched in Europe.
Why screens are a problem for safe driving
For decades, research in the field of traffic safety has shown that human error is involved in the vast majority of traffic accidents, and the design of vehicle control systems has a significant impact on the frequency of these errors. Driver distraction can be visual, manual, cognitive, or a combination of all of the above, and interacting with screens often activates multiple types of attention simultaneously.
This is why texting while driving is considered extremely dangerous, as it is distracting by requiring you to take your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mental focus on a secondary task. According to research, the control of vehicle functions via the screen can have a similar effect.
Adjusting the temperature using a slider on the screen requires visual attention and cognitive effort, while the same action using a physical dial can be done almost without looking, relying on tactile sensation and muscle memory.
One of the most cited examples comes from a 2020 study by British company TRL. In simulated highway driving conditions, drivers performed common tasks such as selecting music or navigating through the menus of systems such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The results showed a significant increase in reaction time, worsening lane keeping and a general decline in driving quality, with interacting with screens in some cases being as, or even more, distracting than texting on the phone.
Surveys among customers confirm the negative attitude towards screens. A survey conducted among 92,000 buyers in the USA showed that infotainment systems are the most problematic item of new cars in the first 90 days of use, primarily due to poor usability and the relocation of basic functions to numerous and unreadable and completely impractical menus.
Voice commands are often cited as a safer alternative, but they are not without risk either. A large meta-analysis of 43 studies found that voice interaction also increases reaction time and negatively affects vehicle control, although to a lesser extent than touchscreens.
The conclusion is clear: frequently used functions while driving, such as temperature, ventilation volume, window defogging and sound control, should remain physical and tactile. This is precisely why Euro NCAP, together with ANCAP, will require physical controls for the highest safety rating in the future. Certain manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and Hyundai, have already begun to respond to these demands and customer pressure, returning switches and buttons to their proper place, writes Science Alert.