Study finds 93% of New Zealand drivers find touchscreens distracting

More than nine in 10 New Zealand drivers say they’ve been distracted by touchscreens while driving, according to a new AutoSense Driving Safety survey. 

The survey, which polled 476 New Zealanders, found 93% of drivers experienced touchscreen distraction, 22.9% say it happened frequently and 48.5% were occasionally distracted. 

Forty-nine percent of respondents said they found knobs and buttons the easiest to use while driving. Only 6% preferred touchscreens and the rest preferred a mix of both. 

Sixty-one percent of respondents identified at least one screen device or vehicle interface as something that commonly pulls their attention from the road. This could include adjusting controls and checking navigation to work alerts and hands-free calls. 

“A knob or button gives you tactile feedback,” AutoSense CEO Charles Dawson said. “Once you know where it is, you can often make an adjustment without taking your eyes off the road. With a touchscreen, you may need to find the right menu, see where your finger is landing and check the vehicle has responded. None of those glances may feel particularly dangerous on its own, but they add up.”

The study follows the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP Safety) for Australia and New Zealand updating its standards regarding touchscreens. 

Starting this year, ANCAP asked automakers to use physical buttons for important driver controls Including: 

• • Horn
  • Indicators
  • Hazard lights
  • Windscreen wipers
  • Headlights

If not a physical button, ANCAP asks that there be a dedicated fixed portion of the cabin display screen to these primary driving functions. 

“If you’ve noticed that some new cars have the most basic driver controls buried within touchscreens and sub-menus, you’re not alone,” ANCAP says in a 2026 document. “It’s time to bring back buttons and stalks and remove some of the complications (and distraction!).”

China finalized a regulation in July that requires physical controls inside the vehicle for certain safety features, according to the publication electrek. These including: 

• • Turn signals
  • Hazard lights
  • Horn
  • PRND gear shifter
  • Driver assist function, if present
  • Windshield wipers
  • Windshield defroster
  • Power windows
  • Emergency call system
  • Power off switch for EVs

The regulations go into place July 1, 2027. 

The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) was the first to announce in 2024 that it would require more physical controls and fewer touchscreen during its safety tests. Those standards started Jan. 2026. 

Some automakers have already been transitioning from touchscreens back to buttons. 

Mercedes-Benz’s head of software told Autocar last year that the company was switching back to buttons because data showed the company that physical buttons are better. 

Volkswagen also announced last year that physical buttons would be implemented across its lineup after hearing from drivers that touch-based interfaces were cumbersome and distracting.

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