Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research by IAM RoadSmart Interacting with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay when driving: The effect on driver performance, published on 31 January, which found that touch screen dashboard controls were linked with slower driver reaction times for drivers; and whether any approval processes or minimum safety standards apply to such infotainment systems

In-vehicle technology has the potential to distract the driver from the driving task and the Department is conducting its own independent research into this but welcomes all contributions to help develop understanding in this area. It is however difficult to set measurable criteria to define whether a particular function is distracting and so the Department has supported initiatives to establish guiding principles which, when applied during the development of a product, should lead to a design that can be safely used within a vehicle.