Dashboard Technology Creating More Distractions for Drivers

The growing prevalence of "infotainment" technology in new vehicles is creating more distractions for drivers, according to new research from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

The recent study looked at 30 different infotainment systems in 2017 vehicles to assess how much visual and mental demand was required from drivers to use the various features. Participants were required to use voice commands and touch screens to make calls, send text messages, tune the radio or program the navigation.

Results showed that drivers were most distracted while trying to program navigation systems, which took an average of 40 seconds for drivers to complete. The findings come as traffic fatalities have been climbing at historic rates, with distracted driving blamed as one of the factors.

Learn more about AAA and the full study results.