Touchscreens really push Kiwi drivers’ buttons
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An NZ poll found 93% of drivers are distracted by touchscreens. Photo: MG NZ
More than nine in 10 New Zealand drivers with touchscreen-equipped vehicles say they have been distracted while using them, according to a new survey.
The poll of 476 New Zealanders by fleet safety company AutoSense found 93 percent had experienced touchscreen distraction. Almost one in four (22.9 percent) said it happened frequently, while 48.5 percent experienced it occasionally.
Physical controls also proved more popular with drivers. Almost half (49 percent) said knobs and buttons were the easiest controls to use while driving, compared with just six percent who preferred touchscreens. A further 20 percent favoured a combination of both.
Some brands have a combination of touchscreen and buttons. Photo: Liz Dobson
The survey found 61 percent of respondents identified at least one screen, device or vehicle interface as something that commonly diverted their attention from the road.
AutoSense CEO Charles Dawson says physical controls can be easier to operate without taking a driver's eyes off the road.
“A knob or button gives you tactile feedback. Once you know where it is, you can often make an adjustment without taking your eyes off the road,” he says.
Car manufacturers increasingly use large central screens. Photo: Liz Dobson
The findings come as vehicle manufacturers increasingly use large central screens to control functions that were traditionally operated by physical buttons and switches.
The issue is also relevant to commercial drivers, who may be dealing with navigation systems, work tablets, dispatch systems and incoming job notifications while driving.
A knob or button gives you tactile feedback.
International vehicle safety organisation Euro NCAP is also placing greater emphasis on the usability of essential vehicle controls, with its 2026 protocols assessing factors including the placement and ease of use of key controls.
Dawson says the survey highlights the need for vehicle technology to reduce, rather than add to, driver distraction.
“Technology can improve safety, but only when it is designed around how people actually drive,” he says.
