Driver distraction has become the leading contributory factor in road traffic collisions across Northern Ireland, according to newly released data from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In the 12 months to March 31, 2026, "inattention or attention diverted" accounted for 17% of all recorded collisions - ahead of speeding, drink driving and all other factors. Distraction was linked to 860 crashes, a 9% increase on the previous year, resulting in 119 people killed or seriously injured.
For motor insurers, that trajectory matters directly. More distracted driving means more collisions, more claims and more severe outcomes - and the research emerging on in-car touchscreen systems suggests the distraction risk embedded in modern vehicles is accelerating faster than driver behaviour has adapted.
Research commissioned by IAM RoadSmart in cooperation with the Transport Research Laboratory found that reaction times when using Apple CarPlay on a touchscreen were delayed by 57% - worse than texting while driving at 35%, and substantially worse than driving at the legal alcohol limit of 0.08%, which produced a 12% delay. Drivers took their eyes off the road for as long as 16 seconds, equivalent to travelling more than 500 metres at 70mph.
A separate study carried out for Trygg Trafikk, the Norwegian Council for Road Safety, and conducted by SINTEF in collaboration with Nord University - notably with the insurer Fremtind as a commissioning partner - found that in-car touchscreens were extremely detrimental to driver attention, documenting how long drivers take to perform various functions on touchscreen systems while in motion. The involvement of an insurer as a research funder reflects growing recognition across the market that touchscreen distraction is a claims risk, not merely a road safety concern.
CompareNI.com, which highlighted the issue in the context of the PSNI data, noted that many newer vehicles have replaced physical buttons with touchscreen controls, requiring drivers to divert attention from the road for longer periods. The comparison platform referenced research showing that taking a driver's eyes off the road for just two seconds can double the risk of a collision.
In-car screens are not the only distraction fuelling the claims environment. Official records show 1,113 mobile phone offences were detected in Northern Ireland over the past year. Research from Hastings Group found that 44% of UK journeys involved some form of driver interaction with a mobile phone - calls, notifications or screen interaction. The same research found that screen interactions while driving were 34% lower than in 2021, indicating some reduction in risky behaviour, though distraction continues to dominate collision data.
The Department for Infrastructure is working on legislation to align Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK, making it an offence to pick up a mobile phone while driving for any purpose - including scrolling playlists, taking photographs or playing games.
The PSNI data and the touchscreen research converge on the same practical question: how is distraction risk being priced and managed in a fleet and personal lines market where the vehicles themselves are introducing new forms of cognitive load?
Telematics and usage-based insurance products offer one avenue, with systems increasingly capable of identifying behaviours associated with distracted driving and incorporating them into risk assessment. Fleet operators are adopting driver-monitoring platforms and real-time coaching tools with the same aim - reducing collision frequency and managing the insurance and operational costs that follow from it.
Ian Wilson, managing director at CompareNI.com, noted that motorists convicted of careless driving offences face direct premium consequences. "Drivers who are convicted of careless driving will likely end up facing higher car insurance costs, as they can be viewed as higher risk by providers. Research suggests that the insurance costs could go up by as much as 26% if drivers receive six penalty points," he said.
The regulatory and research trajectory points in one direction. As touchscreen-heavy vehicles become the norm and distraction-linked collisions continue to rise, the question of how in-car technology risk is underwritten is moving from a peripheral concern to a central one.
