Aftermarket Headunits, Driver Distraction and ADR Compliance

Fit an aftermarket headunit and you're touching two separate parts of Australian road law. The first is the fitment itself: the screen and its housing can't obstruct your forward field of view, and the controls can't create a hazard in the cabin. The second is what you show on the display once you're moving, which the Australian Road Rules limit. You'll also find the safety case for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto here, and how a vehicle-specific unit fitted properly keeps your factory steering controls working.

Two separate compliance questions

Owners tend to run these two questions together. Different parts of the law answer them, and the consequences differ.

• Whether your unit is installed in a compliant way. That's a construction and roadworthiness question. It comes down to where the screen sits, whether it blocks your vision, and whether the wiring and mounting create a hazard. The Australian Design Rules inform it, and it's assessed at roadworthy inspection and certification.
• Whether your unit is used in a compliant way while you drive. That's a road rules question. It comes down to what the display is showing you while the vehicle is moving. Police enforce it on the road, no matter how the unit was installed.

You can have a headunit installed perfectly and still use it in a way that breaches the road rules. The reverse happens too: operate it correctly and it can still fail a roadworthy inspection over where it's mounted. You need to satisfy both questions.

Installation and your forward field of view

Where the screen sits matters. Mount a big aftermarket display high on the dash, or in a housing that stands proud of the original fascia, and it can cut into the area you need to see the road ahead.

ADR 93/00 (Forward Field of View) sets the standard for the driver's forward sightline as the vehicle was originally manufactured. Put a screen or a bracket inside that required forward field of view and the vehicle is compromised against the standard. ADR 42/05 (General Safety Requirements) also applies, because it governs internal protrusions, the security of fitted components, and electrical wiring inside the cabin. A headunit that's loosely mounted, that introduces sharp edges, or that's wired in a way that creates a fire or short-circuit risk is a construction concern under ADR 42/05.

So fit the unit inside the original dash aperture, or in a vehicle-specific fascia made for that location. The screen then replaces the factory unit instead of adding to your sightline. A vehicle-specific unit is engineered to occupy the factory opening, which keeps the display low and central and the housing flush.

ADR standards relevant to installation

Those are the Australian Design Rules you're dealing with when a headunit goes into your dashboard. Where a point falls outside them, your state roadworthy requirements and your licensed automotive engineer remain the authority on whether the installation is acceptable.

Using a visual display while you drive

A compliant installation doesn't settle how you use the unit. Under the Australian Road Rules, a visual display unit must not be operating in a way that's visible to the driver while the vehicle is moving, with limited exceptions for approved driver-aid functions.

Those exceptions exist because some display functions help the driving task instead of pulling you away from it. The road rules permit a driver-aid display to be visible to you while moving where it's showing navigation directions or the image from a reversing camera. Television, video, films and other entertainment content shown to the driver in motion aren't permitted. A passenger entertainment screen is treated differently. The principle stays the same: you must not be watching video while driving.

This one is about use, and it's enforced on the road. It applies to a factory unit and an aftermarket one alike. Operating the display lawfully is on you as the driver. Each state and territory applies the road rules its own way, and the wording and penalties vary, so confirm the current rule and penalty with the road authority where you're registered.

Compliant and non-compliant use

That's a general summary of how you may and may not use a visual display while the vehicle is moving. Each state and territory road authority sets the precise rules.

Wireless CarPlay, Android Auto and driver focus

The strongest safety argument for a modern headunit sits in what the screen replaces. A hand-held mobile phone is the most common source of driver distraction. Run wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through the headunit and you cut the need to handle your phone at all.

On a wireless connection your phone can stay in a pocket, the console or a bag, and it connects as you get in. Navigation, messages read aloud, voice calls and music all run through the headunit and through voice commands, so you're not picking the phone up and looking at it. Fewer reasons to take a hand off the wheel. Fewer reasons to look away from the road.

That supports hands-on-wheel focus, which is what the road rules are driving at. You still must not use the display to watch video while driving, and you're still responsible for lawful use. Use them as intended, for navigation and hands-free communication, and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto keep your driving task primary and cut the phone handling that the road rules and the road toll are most concerned with.

Keeping your factory steering controls working

A headunit that kills your steering wheel controls sends you reaching for the screen, which undoes the distraction case the unit is there to make. Fit a vehicle-specific unit properly and the factory buttons keep working for volume, track, phone and voice control, so you operate the system with both hands on the wheel.

Your PVS headunit is matched to the specific vehicle and built to be plug and play, and that includes integration of the factory steering wheel controls. You keep the control surface you already know, with audio and phone functions within reach of the wheel. To see how steering wheel controls and their wiring are handled without compromising the airbag system, read ADR Steering Wheels and Clocksprings and Airbag System Compliance.

Vehicle-specific headunits

Your PVS headunit is matched to the vehicle, so the screen sits in the factory aperture, the steering wheel controls stay live, and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto work out of the box. You answer the installation question and the distraction question in one fitment. If your variant or build year isn't listed, contact our team before you order so we can confirm fitment and steering control compatibility for your vehicle.

Roadworthy and certification

• NSW: Significant electrical or construction modifications may fall under VSCCS. Confirm with a licensed engineer whether your installation requires assessment.
• VIC: Modifications affecting construction or safety may require VASS certification. Confirm with a signatory.
• QLD: The Approved Person Scheme administered by TMR covers modifications that require certification. Contact TMR for guidance on your specific installation.
• SA, WA, TAS, NT, ACT: Refer to the relevant state or territory scheme.

Whether your fitted headunit needs certification depends on the installation and on your state. Replace the factory headunit inside the original aperture, mounted securely and wired correctly, and you've generally got a straightforward fitment. Mount a large screen on top of the dash, or make any installation that raises a forward field of view concern under ADR 93/00, and you're more likely to attract attention at roadworthy inspection. For detail on each scheme, read State and Territory Certification Requirements, and Find an Automotive Engineer if you need to confirm whether your installation requires certification. Always confirm your requirements with a licensed automotive engineer and your insurer.

Insurance and disclosure

Fit an aftermarket headunit and you change your vehicle's specification. A vehicle-specific unit in the factory location, mounted securely and wired correctly, is a modification you can document.

How you use the display carries an insurance dimension too. Operate a visual display in breach of the road rules, watching video while driving for instance, and that behaviour can affect both your liability and a claim outcome. Your safest position is an installation that satisfies the construction standards and a pattern of use that stays inside the road rules. Confirm your situation with a licensed automotive engineer and your insurer, and don't treat any general statement here as a guarantee of a legal outcome.

Common questions