Would CarPlay be more dangerous than cannabis while driving?

Two days ago,leaks about new features in CarPlaymade us question their validity. Indeed, the purpose of this operating system for cars was originally tominimize distractionsof the driver. However, regularly adding features to it is in total contradiction with this objective.

What is supposed to represent a less risky alternative to the smartphone for motorists can ultimately still seem dangerous. In any case, this is what statistics published this week byIAM, a British association which works to reduce the number of accidents on the roads.

The numbers

In its investigation, the organization recalls that the normal reaction time of a human - when faced with an obstacle or an intersection for example - is normally one second. A duration extended by 21% after having consumed cannabis… Against57% using CarPlay touch modeand 53% for its direct competitor Android Auto.

At first, it may be surprising to see CarPlay come so far in the ranking, behind the use of cannabis, but also behind texting while driving. But when you think about it, you realize that systems like Android Auto and CarPlay, when used in touch mode and not voice mode, often require you to look away from the road. The study even specifies this. Using these requires you to look away from the road, sometimes for up to 12 seconds! Additionally, study participants underestimated the time spent looking at the Android Auto or CarPlay Call screen by an average of 5 seconds.

Finally, the document specifies that the vehicle also has the chance of deviating by almost fifty centimeters from its initial trajectory by using CarPlay tactilely.

Other parameters not taken into account

The other activities tested, such as the use of cannabis or the use of in-car voice systems, reduce reaction time while driving less. But it should be noted that the study only focuses on the pilot's reaction time to an event. However, other important parameters must be taken into account to measure the safety of driving, such as the coordination of movements, anticipation, awareness of risk, decision-making, or even control of the trajectory and good distance management.

And there, according to the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction, cannabis is causing damage. It slows down the driver's operation, well beyond simple reaction time: slower analysis of the situation, slower decision-making, loss of vigilance, among other things.

The study therefore does not show that cannabis and the use of alcohol while driving remains safer than the use of CarPlay in touch mode. On the other hand, it highlights that, in everyday driving, it may be more prudent to use CarPlay by voice rather than in touch mode, a disastrous use for reaction time. Maximum caution, which we obviously recommend, will continue to be to only use CarPlay with the vehicle stationary. As for the iPhone, especially if you have CarPlay in your car, it should be left in your pocket, at the risk of being punished with a fine of 135 euros accompanied by a withdrawal of 3 points on the permit.