Using CarPlay Might Be More Dangerous Than Texting While Driving

We all know that texting while driving is incredibly dangerous and there have been numerous accidents reported in the past that have proven that. However, it seems that using platforms like CarPlay or Android Auto could actually be more dangerous than that. This is according to a recent study conducted by RoadSmart which suggested that these services might actually be more dangerous.

Based on their study, which measures the reaction time of drivers, they found that texting while driving increases the response time of drivers by 35%, meaning that drivers take 35% longer to respond in situations compared to if they were not texting. However, using services like Android Auto and CaPlay increased those response times to over 50%.

As you can see in the image above, this only applies to the touch-version of Android Auto and CarPlay, meaning that users are interacting directly with their infotainment unit. Using the voice-controlled options of Android Auto and CarPlay are lower at 30+%. In a way it doesn’t come as a complete surprise, since touching our infotainment units is almost akin to us playing with our phones.

However, as MacRumors points out, it is unclear how familiar the participants in the study were with either CarPlay or Android Auto. It is possible that they weren’t familiar and thus their reaction times were slower, so that’s worth taking into consideration as well.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones, Transportation
Tags: Android Auto, carplay, Google, study