The FAA decided a while back that “distractions” are a factor in accidents, especially IFR accidents, and added them to the Practical Test Standards guide. The FAA also recently added use of equipment to the PTS including glass cockpits, use of the standby instruments for a non-precision approach, GPS approaches and autopilot use that applicants for the IFR rating must demonstrate on the check ride.
This is all good because we have undergone a major change in the way some essential information for flying IFR is presented in the cockpit. To say that a change in IFR instrumentation can be a distraction is, to some, a stretch, and to others it is a reality. If a pilot is properly trained in the use of the instrumentation, whatever form it may take, then there should be no problem. But it is also safe to say that when a pilot is up to his ears in alligators on a dark and stormy night, the proper reaction to indications of a recently learned system might be elusive.
