A survey by the TÜV Association shows that digital functions make driving easier for the majority of car owners. However, a good half of them also find the systems distracting.
Digital cockpits and displays in the vehicle are revolutionizing the driving experience with functions such as parking space searches, real-time traffic information or entertainment offerings. The benefits of digital functions are rated predominantly positively by drivers: 72 percent of car owners agree with the statement that digital driving functions make driving easier for them.
These functions are particularly popular among young millennials: 75 percent of them agree. In contrast, only 66 percent of the older baby boomer generation find digital functions useful. This is the result of a recent Ipsos survey commissioned by the TÜV Association among 2,500 people aged 16 and over.
“Digital displays and functions offer drivers tangible advantages, especially when it comes to navigation and managing driving tasks,” says Richard Goebelt, Head of Vehicle and Mobility at the TÜV Association. Displaying up-to-the-minute traffic jam reports, free parking spaces, petrol stations or gas pumps, as well as expanding the field of vision and controlling the vehicle’s surroundings make driving easier and reduce unnecessary traffic.
The advantages also include personalization options for all display and multimedia functions. High-resolution displays ensure clear and sharp displays that are easy to read even in poor lighting conditions. In addition, they enable better integration of driver assistance systems, infotainment systems and external devices such as smartphones and tablets, which offer additional convenience to the driver.
Digital vehicle functions: useful helpers or risky distraction?
“Digital cockpits pose the risk of overloading drivers with information and distracting them from the traffic,” says Goebelt. According to the results of the survey, 40 percent of car owners find operating the digital functions very complicated. The difficulties increase with age. While only 28 percent of all 16 to 24 year olds complain about problems with operation, the figure for those over 66 is 44 percent.
A good half of car owners (53 percent) say that operating digital functions distracts them too much while driving. “Digital functions are so present today that drivers can hardly avoid using them,” says Goebelt. “However, while driving, being distracted from the driving task by operating the systems can be very dangerous.”
According to the TÜV Mobility study, citizens share this assessment: Distractions, such as using a cell phone while driving, are viewed by almost everyone as a safety risk (94 percent). Of these, 51 percent consider distraction to be very dangerous and 43 percent consider it to be somewhat dangerous.
Source: www.com-magazin.de
