Sonali Tiwary
If you tap your phone mounted in a cradle to skip a podcast while driving in Australia, you risk a substantial fine and demerit points—depending on your state. If you perform the same action on your car’s factory-fitted centre touchscreen, the legal position is not clear-cut, and varies by jurisdiction.
This is not a simple technicality. Australian Road Rule 300 prohibits drivers from using a mobile phone held in the hand or resting on any part of the body while driving. State and territory rules differ on penalties—for example, Queensland increased its fine to $1,033 and 4 demerit points as of 2020, while fines in other jurisdictions vary. AI enforcement cameras are now deployed across multiple states and detect phone-handling behaviour. Road Rule 299, which covers television receivers and visual display units in motor vehicles, applies to built-in screens and carries different provisions. However, the National Transport Commission has itself identified ambiguity around interactions with in-vehicle information systems while a vehicle is moving—the rule does not automatically make all factory touchscreen interactions lawful in all circumstances. Rules and penalties differ by state and territory, and each jurisdiction’s roads authority is the definitive source for the current position.
For Australian drivers, the legal distinction between a fine and legal driving can come down to which screen your finger touches—but the lines are less clear than they might appear. Under Rules 299 and 300, touching an unmounted phone for non-navigation purposes can result in significant fines and demerit points varying by state. A factory-fitted touchscreen used for navigation, climate, or audio may fall under a different provision, but legality depends on the specific use, the jurisdiction, and the circumstances. Consult your state’s roads authority or a traffic law specialist for the definitive position in your jurisdiction.
When ANCAP Started Rewarding Cars That Keep Physical Buttons
The practical gap between phone rules and in-car screen rules has become more visible as the auto industry replaced physical knobs and buttons with touchscreen menus requiring multiple taps. Australian motorists in newer EVs and SUVs increasingly navigate through several sub-menus to adjust basic functions—and the legality of each tap depends on the state’s rules at the time.
ANCAP introduced updated test and assessment protocols for 2026–2028 that reward vehicle models that provide physical buttons or a dedicated fixed screen area for key safety-critical controls such as indicators, hazard lights, wipers, headlights, and the horn. ANCAP’s 2026 criteria are assessment rules affecting safety ratings, not road law. Cars that score well under these criteria are those that do not require drivers to navigate touchscreen menus for primary driving controls.
A column in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age examined the practical gap between the phone rules and those governing in-car displays, noting that the situation has been described as ambiguous even by road safety researchers. The National Transport Commission has published work on developing technology-neutral road rules for driver distraction—that work is ongoing. This connects to a broader distracted-driving enforcement trend that also plays out on the street—as demonstrated by the Nashville Pedal Tavern crash where a distracted SUV driver hospitalised passengers.
Is it legal to touch your car’s built-in touchscreen while driving in Australia?
The answer depends on your state or territory’s road rules, the specific use, and the circumstances. Under Road Rule 299, interactions with factory-installed in-vehicle display screens are treated differently from a handheld phone under Rule 300—but the National Transport Commission has identified ambiguity in how Rule 299 applies to interactions with in-vehicle information systems while driving. Fines and demerit points for phone use vary by jurisdiction; consult your state’s roads authority for the current penalties applicable to you.
The NTC’s ongoing work on technology-neutral distraction rules, and ANCAP’s 2026 physical-button assessment changes, mean the next generation of new cars sold in Australia will be designed with clearer physical-control access for primary driving functions.
