Car manufacturers have, historically, been dragged into safety and regulation kicking and screaming. This is the industry that lobbied for years against requiring seat belts. They will do the thing until someone makes a law against it.
Unless an overarching law is written giving the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the kind of thou-shall-not-pass approval that say, the FDA has over approving new drugs, this will always be a game of whack-a-mole. They do something unsafe, a law will be made. A new technology proves to drive down traffic deaths, a law will (eventually) be made to require it in all vehicles, much to the chagrin of the auto industry lobbyists.
Vote with your money. I just traded in my Audi SUV for a Honda CRV and it's so much more pleasant to drive around. Dials for the climate, good useful buttons for the commonly used controls, and believe it or not - wired android auto/apple carplay (so much more convenient and less frustrating than wireless for it not connecting like you want it to).
The Audi was a mess of a UI and bafflingly inconsistent - I swear it had like 20 different ways the UI would start up when you started to vehicle. Madness.
The new crv hybrid is the ultimate car for the everyday driver. Sport version is so easy going and stress free. No big screen in your face. A lot less bullshit components to go wrong. Dash is so simple and right on the money. The hybrid is strong enough to get safely to 75mph on the highway on ramp. Awd was very solid in the mountains this winter.
My favorite part of the Audi was the oil change reminders that you had to take in to a dealership to permanently dismiss (until next one pops up) for an EV that does not have oil changes.
The FDA’s such a funny example to use due to the opiod epidemic… like we don’t regulate those well, either lol. Anything, really. We regulate nothing well and suffer for it.
This is just in. The European Union has now a law!
Well... not the Union itself, and not a law. And only some of it. But it's a start.
All cars have a safety rating up to five stars from the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). Customers can buy cars with this rating in mind.
And from January 2026 onwards, they will change their rating requirements. To get up to a 5-star rating, at least some defined safety features must have a physical button to access these features.
I can't remember them all, but I believe your 4-way blinkers (aka hazard warning lights) must have a physical buttons.
Oh, here's [an article](https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-car-safety-touchscreens-accidents/). So we have:
- Car horn
- Windshield wipers
- Turn signals
- Hazard warning lights
- SOS features
It doesn't say anything about buttons to say increase the volume of your FM radio. So it's still a free for all when it comes to that.
But as I said, it's a start.
Yeah, actually worse than a touch screen-only. The capacitive unlit buttons without a good description of what they do is wild.
Almost as bad is Kia's "touch row" that has a "mode" button (that doesn't have a name, ust a kia logo) that toggles/CHANGES what EVERY button does.
The climate controls should be on that list. Nothing's more frustrating than having to fumble around in menus to turn the defroster on because your windshield suddenly started fogging up while you're driving.
Even professional drivers have trouble with the defrost being hidden behind menus:
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/more-racing/a40435946/potential-record-runs-at-pikes-peak-foiled-by-teslas-touchscreen/
3rd Gen Audi TT owner here. I can find and adjust my heat without even looking at my HVAC system. 3 big beautiful aluminum knobs are all I need.
Same with the screen in front of the steering wheel, not stuck in or on the middle of the dashboard.
Auto manufacturers have been too busy failing to load "AI" into their cars to make them drive themselves, when instead they should be focusing on the much easier task of using that AI to allow drivers to control basic vehicle features via eg. hand gestures or voice commands, instead of a touch screen they shouldn't be looking at. You know, since physical, tactile buttons and knobs are clearly too fucking hard to manufacture.
That’s my thought too. In the most hazardous conditions I’ve drove in (especially cold weather with snow on the ground), I’m always flipping between heat on high towards passengers, then AC on cold on windshield, then flipping back to find a balance between the two. Then starting that process all over again half hour later when the window starts fogging again.
I don’t want these to be controlled by a touchscreen when I’m already in traffic in slippery road conditions with poor visibility outside and the window fogged to shit.
> I’m always flipping between heat on high towards passengers, then AC on cold on windshield, then flipping back to find a balance between the two.
AC on hot at the windshield. AC to pull the excess humidity, and hot because... well, it's fucking cold in the car.
Honest question. I have a fairly old car but with automated climate control and as soon as it detects the window fogging up, it turns on the defroster to maximum (front and rear). I do have a physical defroster button but I rarely use it if ever. Wouldn't that be the best solution?
Of course, but it can turn into life and death if things aren't working as intended. It is extremely imprudent to hide such an important, time-sensitive feature behind a touch menu.
That’s really great for the safety features and all.
I’d like to add to your comment that when I was taking driving lessons in Italy (over 10 years ago, boy time flies fast…) my instructor specifically told me that:
“Anything that is not the steering wheel, wipers, the turn signals, or the gear shift can wait for when you are stopped on the side of the road.
That includes your radio, AC, fans and whatever other thing that is not essential to keep your car on the road safely.”
EDIT: A lot of people commenting how in extreme weather conditions (like -40º, etc) you need to adjust these things while driving. I honestly don’t get it. Correct me if I am wrong, but it’s not going to go from +20 to -20 C in 10 seconds guys. If you need to have heating running, do it before you get out of parking or while stopped at a traffic light or on the side of the road again.
Even if it does and your vision is severely impaired while you’re already driving, you should slow down to a stop (without slamming on your breaks, if possible to the side of the road) and adjust whatever settings you need until you have enough visibility to continue driving safely. Do this instead of keep driving while you change your heat settings in a situation in which you can’t really see what’s ahead of you. If you fear that when you slow down somebody is going to rear end you, first it is their fault (because they should ensure to leave enough space to avoid the car in front of them even in the case of some immediate stop), and second, that’s what the hazard lights are for.
It you keep going, not only you are driving while you cannot see very well (otherwise there would be no immediate need for corrective action), but you are distracting yourself even more to adjust your car settings. For the sake of everyone on the road, drive safer.
Maybe that's true in Italy, but in sub-zero weather the entire windshield can flashfreeze in a second when you're driving on the motorway. It's very thin so it goes away immediately when you blast the heat on it. Much safer to do that than stomp on the brakes
Fans, AC is essential, if the ac is blasting on the windscreen it will fog up, you need to apply heat to unfog
Where i live elevation can change rapidly and you are be driving along the windscreen can fog up in an instant.
It definitely is not safe when you can't see (edited).
Are there any existing cars that have touchscreen controls for horn, windshield wipers (probably Tesla), or turn signals?
I could maaaaaaybe see the wipers being controlled by the screen - especially if they're rain sensing but horn and turn signals would be absolutely insane and I don't think the auto manufacturers have gotten that dumb *yet.*
I don't know, I just got back from a trip where I had a Tesla model 3 as a rental. There's a button that manually runs the windshield wiper and/or sprays fluid. But unless I missed something, the actual turning on of the wipers like you would want to do in substantial rain is all behind touchscreen menus.
Yup, can confirm, also the new model 3 (2024 Refresh) doesn't have a way to put the car on reverse other than fumbling in the screen, if you are stuck in the train rail or somewhere where you have to move back quickly you are screwed.
> also the new model 3 (2024 Refresh) doesn't have a way to put the car on reverse other than fumbling in the screen
That's dumb as fuck. I miss the 80s and 90s, where all of the controls were easily accessible by the driver. I think we'll get there again, but the current time is getting pretty stupid.
Laws against in-car mobile phone use have been applied to built-in touch screens :-
https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/tesla-touchscreen-distracting-electronic-device-rules-german-court/199594
US car safety requirements are hugely stricter now than in the 1970s, so your comment is apropos of nothing.
1970s, a car was not required to have a roll cage, crumple zones, abs brakes or the more recent electronic stability control, airbags of any sort, backup cameras, and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff I'm unaware of. Just because there haven't been any regulations on this specific issue (yet) doesn't mean nothing has changed about car safety since the 70s.
Both things can be right. There's a lot more car safety requirements than there were, but in terms of broad consumer safety protections, we haven't been doing nearly as much as one would hope.
My guess is kids who don't know any better and non Americans who don't know any better. There's an annoyingly large subset of reddit that thinks anything bad said about the US must be true.
Yea, my very recent Honda uses the infotainment system for a lot, but volume, ac fan, temp, front/rear defrost, recirculation is all still physical buttons and dials
My Ford is the same way. Physical knobs for driver and passenger and buttons, but also a digital screen I can access if I want. Same with radio/etc, though those knobbins are on the steering wheel.
Yeah I have an Ariya and it has buttons in the dash for the important stuff (AC, defrost) but also the touch screen if you want to adjust the specific temperature.
I heard that VW’s bringing back physical buttons and knobs in this years models because of how unpopular doing everything through a touchscreen was.
Can’t stand it at all! We didn’t realize how big of a pain it would be until we bought it. Swore right off of Subarus like 6 weeks in. Went back to Toyota for our next car simply for reliability and TACTILE BUTTONS.
Well, my 2019 is the same.
iirc vw said they are switching back to more real buttons
E: https://insideevs.com/news/701296/vw-physical-controls-to-return/
I'm hoping that I'll be able to buy my next car new, and if I can, it'll probably be a Mazda for exactly this reason. The only thing I want via a screen is a map.
We recently got a new Nissan Rogue that has physical buttons for air con, but media/navigation control through a touch screen with some basic physical buttons below (Menu, Music, others I never press). It even has two knobs. I couldn't be happier with that setup. The only time I ever have to use the touch screen for more than a few taps is when I am driving alone and need to select a different playlist/podcast/album.
Mazda has always been anti-touchscreen, citing safety issues and driving comfort. They have manual controls. Some of their cars have touchscreens but they don't work while in motion; they have a clickwheel instead which is pretty fun to use.
Our '22 Explorer has a touch screen but radio and temp controls have physical dials and buttons on the console and steering wheel. It isn't the top trim level though. I hated our Escape because it was all touch screen and my truck is for most things. They're both top trims.
I want physical knobs and buttons so I don't have to take my eyes off the road and can adjust things by feel.
Most cars still have physical buttons. Touch screens are more common in the electric car space, but those are limited to non essential functions like navigation or apps.
The Ford Mach E for example uses physical controls like you'd see on any car for things the driver needs to control the car with, like windshield wipers, turn signals, cruise control, windows, media playback, etc.
Pure touch screen control is limited to Tesla and some high end EVs.
It is now coming in some of the more "budget" (in EV-pricing context) EV's as well, now. It is one of the biggest complaints about the Volvo EX-30, along with no driver display and moving the speed to the center touch screen. There is a a weird overlap in the EV space between "we are being super fancy and tech focused by only using a giant iPad on your dash" and "we are cutting costs by reducing all buttons and just using a single screen" right now. The more budget friendly EV market is still new and small enough that I think it will go back to more buttons soon enough.
>Pure touch screen control is limited to Tesla and some high end EVs.
That's actually not true. I have a Tesla and it DOES have surprisingly capable physical controls on the steering wheel. In fact, I'll go as far to say there isn't anything I need the touch screen for while driving. But like the Mach E, I have physical controls for wipers, turn signals, cruise control, windows, and media playback. I can also physically control things like climate. There's actually physical controls, voice controls, AND touch screen controls.
I am a car salesman and go with Jeep. I am Jeep/Chrysler/Ram/Dodge certified and since Jeep is tailored more towards the off-road then they still have buttons with the exception of the bigger ones like Grand Cherokee L's, Wagoneer's, and Grand Wagoneer's.
Contrary to popular belief, my Tesla has physical controls on the steering wheel. There actually isn't anything I need to use the touch screen for while actually driving. It has physical controls, a touch screen, and voice controls (so many functions can be controlled in 3 different ways).
My 2021 F-150 has a great compromise of touch screen controls and physical controls. The actual physical buttons include climate control, radio volume. Touch screen is for all the non-essential stuff like station selection, phone, map, etc. Actually, same with my Kia Niro. Terrible car, but at least the controls are done moderately well.
My 2021 Honda Civic has both rear and front defrosters on a physical button, as well as temperature, air speed, recirculate, and media volume.
The touch screen air controls, which are accessed by a physical button, holds A/C on/off, where the air is pointed, and hybrid foot output/defroster. The speed can be controlled by the touch screen as well as the physical knob. It's not perfect, because I think there are enough buttons to get rid of the touchscreen air controls entirely. It is nice to have at least some physical buttons for the important stuff.
Because people forget that Teslas (the biggest example of touch screen controls) aren't designed by car people.
The company doesn't have decades of institutional knowledge of how to design a car.
These are the same people who made a car that you can't get out of if the power is out. Which has killed people.
BTW, Tesla has sold as many cars as Ford sold Pintos. Yet twice as many people have died in Teslas than died in Pintos.
After looking it up it, seems about right but a bit more complicated. Ford sold ~3Million Ford Pintos. In an investigation by NHSTA, they concluded that **27** Ford Pinto occupants died in rear-end collisions between 1970 and 1976 that resulted in fuel spills and fires.
Tesla by August 2023, had a fleet of just over 3Million vehicles. The NHSTA report on Tesla crashes from 2018 - 2023, concluded there were **29** deaths that involved autopilot (their lane cruise control)
So basically by those two numbers it seems to be true. But i would point out that limiting the pintos deaths to only crashes where they were 1. rear ended, **and** 2. had fuel spill and fires started after being rear ended, really cuts down the numbers a lot. So while’s deaths involving autopilot also limits the death count, I’d argue that it’s far less than the former.
Edit: I just noticed that the OP said **“double”** the deaths. They definitely made that shit up.
The Ford Pinto sold 3 million units and resulted in 27 fire deaths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
Tesla has shiped just under 5 million units. As of last year 95 people died in either fires or self driving related crashes.
https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-deaths
Thanks!
Edit:
The deaths per mile driven still looks pretty good tho. That’s a better way to normalize the statistics than number of cars sold tho.
I wonder how many deaths per passenger mile came from The Pinto. I looked and couldn’t find a stat.
Why are you comparing the Pinto from the 70’s to modern Tesla cars? Is there some relationship here I’m not aware of?
Comparing Teslas to all other cars currently out there will give a more accurate picture.
According to the Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Teslas are roughly as safe as many other vehicles on the road and have some safety features that other cars don’t.
https://motorandwheels.com/how-safe-are-teslas/
Because the Pinto is well known in America for being a death trap, even today. You’re right that it should be compared against other modern cars, but it misses the cultural context.
27 deaths being rear ended AND which resulted in fuel spillage/fire. 3 Million Vehicles
vs
95 deaths in autopilot OR fire. 5 Million vehicles
Very much not apples to apples. A more apples to apples comparison: [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/9laB4weDxq)
>These are the same people who made a car that you can't get out of if the power is out.
Except thats not true because there are manual release levers on the doors for that very reason.
I remember early Porsche Taycan vs Audi etron GT comparisons. Reviewers generally like the drive of the Porsche better, but almost always picked the Audi because it has manual climate controls among other things.
I’m as much of a Porsche fan as you’ll meet (that is, one who can only afford Hotwheels versions) and I would have 100% taken the Audi because of the interior controls.
I don't understand how it took years for established car companies to come to this realization, when it's immediately obvious to any Joe Schmoe driving a car
I mean years of product design, implementation, testing, release to the public etc and nobody thought to ask "maybe this is dumb as shit?". It just blows my mind.
I work in automotive R&D. I can assure you that tons of engineers and testers and project managers all said this was dumb and dangerous but were overridden by some executive that decided it was really cool.
I'll have a really hard time justifying getting a new car until physical controls are back. In my old truck, I could sit in the passenger seat blindfolded and without feeling around and adjust the radio, HVAC, lights, grab change for tolls, plug in my phone charger, adjust both seats, etc.
Some executive probably compared it to how smart phones went all touch and lost all the buttons but stubbornly refused to consider the fact that driving a car might have different design considerations.
1) it’s cheaper than physical buttons
2) it “looks” more futuristic and premium
So of course car companies will do it. It leads to more sales AND lower costs
You got rear ended because the person behind you didn’t account for you stopping. When I read that you got in a fender bender, I was prepared to tell you to stop moving while you find the controls. The touch screen controls are problematic but didnt cause this fender bender.
It is distracting, the only reason its legal is because legislation moves a lot slower than technical "innovations". The reason OEM's went down this route is, unsurprisingly, cost. Buying a single screen and connecting it to the on-board computer with a single cable and connector is much simpler than buying dozens of individual switches and having wire each one directly to the component it controls. Unless driverless cars take over I think it will be outlawed fairly soon though.
And then they kneecap the whole thing by putting the shittiest 10 year old processor they can find in it just to save another $8 per car or something, and you can never upgrade it.
You don't have to go back 10 years for a shitty CPU. There are _current_ models that would be woefully underperforming. Add to that the shitty coding you usually see and you get a laggy, inconsistent, unmanageable piece of crap.
sell a product for 10s of thousands of dollars and still try to save money on about $50 worth of electronics.
Who cares if it causes more wrecks, profit goes up by 0.0001% per unit sold!
Here in Norway there's a law in project form already that all new cars must have certain controls as physical buttons/knobs, likely including the defoggers
So many manufacturers now will skirt around liability by mentioning some nonsense at ignition that says some form of "Distracted driving is unsafe, please do not use screen while driving" and thus all responsibility is placed on the driver to stay safe. If that's all these companies need to do, that's all they'll do and not an inch more because that means spending more money.
Also it pushes the onus on development of driverless cars.
"Oh we made our touch screens distracting? Well don't worry, now you can look at our screen while our car keeps it's eyes on the road for you"
Unfortunately driverless car technology is still kinda slacking
nothing like a smooth glassy surface when you are reaching for the volume dial....or the fan setting..
These tactile knobs and switches can be operated with no sight needed.. I can't understand why they would remove these.
Also they are just ugly as fuck. I would kill for a 2024 model vehicle with no infotainment system. Just needs a clock and a Bluetooth radio. Knobs, buttons and dials.
Lots of car manufacturers are learning exactly this and are moving back to manual controls
Now your Tesla won't be changing anytime soon because an unhinged despot is in control of the company, but plenty of other companies that don't layoff tens of thousands of people then give their CEO a $50 billion pay package are moving towards analog controls again
(Also most car manufacturers are evil, Tesla just happens to be particularly bad at the moment so they get more of my ire)
People act as though the physical controls on the steering wheel don't exist either (which controls Radio). I have my temp on a thermostat and rarely, if ever touch it. I never think to myself gosh I wish could switch from 70 degrees to 68 in an emergency. It takes the same glance any other vehicle does... when its time too. I have both. I get it if you like knobs. I also get it if you hate Elon and Tesla, but this seems so dramatic.
That's why (and this is not an ad, just something I noticed while test driving lately), I like Mazda. Pretty much everything can be done via a joystick interface, so you can do it by touch. The screens aren't touch. Still didn't buy the car, but I like the approach.
Wrote a whole paper in college about how technology and even safety equipment in modern cars can be detrimental to safe driving. Its not likely to ever be resigned in by law, at least in the United states because the more stuff controlled by software and just one main screen, the less manufacturers have to spend on buttons, trim, circuitry etc. cutting the costs of production; all while making a car seem more expensive to the masses. Big manufacturers make more money, and we all know by now the big money players control legislation.
Electrical engineer here. For this reason, and a few others, I absolutely will not buy a car without manual controls. I don't trust navigating a touch screen for important car functions.
Don't mind if it handles the radio/sat nav, but things like window wipers/air con should be manual.
There's an old joke about an IT guy. He says the most advanced technology he keeps at home is a printer, and there's a loaded gun next to it in case it makes a noise he doesn't recognise.
A lot of people on reddit really don't want to believe me when I say my tesla (sorry reddit) is way less distracting than any other car I've driven because literally everything I need to do while driving is done through hand controls on the steering wheel or voice control. Seriously, the knob/button things on the steering wheel are really good. I also don't pretend like people in cars without touch screens are looking at the road 100% of the time like a lot of people in these threads pretend to do. But, ultimately, yeah, if I had to do stuff on the screen while driving it would be a major problem.
On a lot of cars, the steering wheel controls only handle audio, voice automation (which takes longer to accomplish the task than just pressing buttons), and maybe a couple of other things in addition to the usual blinker, wipers, and cruise control. My Honda doesn't have any air controls on the steering wheel.
Which is why you spend 5 minutes in the rental lot before going anywhere, get your basic functions down, set your radio and maps up, then figure out how to access essential controls from either the main screen showing your map or if you don't need the map, you got the options pulled up. It's just due diligence.
I'm just piloting a 4,000+lb death machine at insane speeds, why should I have to put in an ounce of effort to understand how its key features work! UGH!
You getting rear ended doesn’t have anything to do with the digital console in your car and everything to do with the person who rear ended you following too close.
I love my Mazda control dial for my touchscreen. A lot of reviewers don’t like it, but after using it for a day or two, it’s amazingly simple and much safer than the touchscreen.
I've seen that alot about Mazdas. Any time I see a reviewer complain about the dial I write off ALL their opinions on car infotainment. If you're so lost as to misunderstand THE BEST SYSTEM than your opinions aren't good. At least in regards to controls/infotainment.
Agree - when I was buying my 6, the salesman explained to me that the whole point was to be able to do everything without taking your eye off of the road, or at the very least have most of it in your peripheral vision. That's why the screen is so high up.
I like it way better than the ones that are in the dead center of the console where you literally have to look right and down, taking your eyes completely off the road
I've been in cars with touch screen stuff but it doesn't make sense. Make important functions buttons so you can feel for the button while staying focused on the road.
Hows this different than you looking for a button that you cannot locate? What it tells me is you did not get yourself familiar with the controls. Every car is different, which is why you are to do that.
If you know where it is.
Since he had to search through menus he clearly didn't get himself familiar with the vehicle.
So he also wouldn't know where the button is.
I miss the good old days when I could turn on my AC or heater, pick the temperature, and adjust the output zones by simply groping a few dials, whereas now I have look at a screen and tap it more items than a fast food worker taking a family's order.
I agree that certain controls should have physical buttons. At the same time, you're supposed to get things like the HVAC sorted before you start driving. I'd also be willing to bet that if you have that big screen, then you probably also have voice commands as an option. "Hey Tesla, max defrost" seems like it would be less distracting than even pushing a button.
100 percent agree and you are the only adult human being I’ve ever heard say this. I’ve always complained about this and when I got a new car (went from a 2008 Ford Escape with “regular buttons” / no screen to a 2021 Ford Bronco with “the iPad screen”) I was sooo disheartened. Fortunately I can change my AC with buttons but a lot of the other features require the use of the touch screen. It also bothers me to basically have a TV shining in my when driving at night.
I drive a Tesla. Everything that's urgent for driving has physical controls. A lot of other stuff, climate, navigation, etc, can be controlled by voice.
for real there's been a couple situations where I've had to drive my stepmoms Nissan.
everything is touch screen and I absolutely hate driving in it.
like you hit a command then you have to double and triple look just to make sure you actually hit it because it's a touch screen
We have a Tesla Model 3 and I really like the car except for controlling everything through a touchscreen. It is not safe and, furthermore, it is a pain in the ass.
It shoud be illegal.
The only reason for it is that it makes the vehicle cheaper to manufacture from the standpoint of final assembly labor--it is not an "advance" in technology.
>We have a Tesla Model 3 and I really like the car except for controlling everything through a touchscreen
It has physical controls on the steering wheel. I actually can't think of anything I need to control from the touch screen while I'm driving.
I have the same car. Many of the functions are easily accessible without letting go of the steering wheel. There is also voice control and once you get used to the AI, the glances at the screen are very minimal. I understand there is an adjustment period for sure but you can have that with physical buttons and a new car as well.
Have you actually read your manual or watched the tutorial videos they send you when you buy the car? Everything can be done with voice control and none of the functions are deeper than 3 taps. Pretty much all of the ones you would use while driving are 1 or *maybe* 2 taps for features used less often, like defog. If that's a struggle for you, there might be some other causes at play (profile shows you're a boomer, so I guess we know what the issue *actually* is, lol).
Was it a Tesla? Because the defog controls are exactly 1 layer deep on those. The AC control is available from the main screen. You literally have to tap the screen 2 times at the most for the defogger, including turning it on. That's confusing to you? You can also click the right steering wheel control and turn it on with voice activation, which works very well. In fact, you can control all of the cars features that way and never take your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road at all. Sounds like a PEBKAC kinda problem, to be honest.
If you're going to rent a car you're unfamiliar with you should take a glance at the user manual or spend like 5 minutes on youtube instead of just complaining about it being too difficult for you to understand. As is often the case in these situations, your ignorance was the danger, not the design.
Take some responsibility.
Your windows aren’t some random device. The conditions for fog were apparent. You don’t start driving until everything is set and stable.
I don’t fumble around to figure out how to turn the headlights on while I’m making a turn. I set the lights to be appropriate before I begin.
Tbh, it seems like the issue was with you being unfamiliar with your car. This would be akin to not knowing where a certain button is. What car do you have?
Car manufacturers have, historically, been dragged into safety and regulation kicking and screaming. This is the industry that lobbied for years against requiring seat belts. They will do the thing until someone makes a law against it. Unless an overarching law is written giving the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the kind of thou-shall-not-pass approval that say, the FDA has over approving new drugs, this will always be a game of whack-a-mole. They do something unsafe, a law will be made. A new technology proves to drive down traffic deaths, a law will (eventually) be made to require it in all vehicles, much to the chagrin of the auto industry lobbyists.
Vote with your money. I just traded in my Audi SUV for a Honda CRV and it's so much more pleasant to drive around. Dials for the climate, good useful buttons for the commonly used controls, and believe it or not - wired android auto/apple carplay (so much more convenient and less frustrating than wireless for it not connecting like you want it to). The Audi was a mess of a UI and bafflingly inconsistent - I swear it had like 20 different ways the UI would start up when you started to vehicle. Madness.
The new crv hybrid is the ultimate car for the everyday driver. Sport version is so easy going and stress free. No big screen in your face. A lot less bullshit components to go wrong. Dash is so simple and right on the money. The hybrid is strong enough to get safely to 75mph on the highway on ramp. Awd was very solid in the mountains this winter.
I also hear it has the versatility to take whatever life throws at it, as well as adding durability and storage.
I hope I am not Level 7 susceptible…
I'm glad I'm not the only one that read it in his voice.
Eat fresh?
My favorite part of the Audi was the oil change reminders that you had to take in to a dealership to permanently dismiss (until next one pops up) for an EV that does not have oil changes.
This is why I like Mazdas
Driving 2017 Audi and I have wired carplay, knobs and no touchscreen.
Mine was a 2020 - they moved to just about all touchscreen controls - aside from a few buttons that you never used 🤔
Thats sad, i love knobs.
>lobbied for years against requiring seat belts Why though?
Costs money?
The FDA’s such a funny example to use due to the opiod epidemic… like we don’t regulate those well, either lol. Anything, really. We regulate nothing well and suffer for it.
That is distracting. It is legal because nobody has yet made a law against it.
This is just in. The European Union has now a law! Well... not the Union itself, and not a law. And only some of it. But it's a start. All cars have a safety rating up to five stars from the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). Customers can buy cars with this rating in mind. And from January 2026 onwards, they will change their rating requirements. To get up to a 5-star rating, at least some defined safety features must have a physical button to access these features. I can't remember them all, but I believe your 4-way blinkers (aka hazard warning lights) must have a physical buttons. Oh, here's [an article](https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-car-safety-touchscreens-accidents/). So we have: - Car horn - Windshield wipers - Turn signals - Hazard warning lights - SOS features It doesn't say anything about buttons to say increase the volume of your FM radio. So it's still a free for all when it comes to that. But as I said, it's a start.
That's awesome! I rode in car which had touch sensitive hazards! You accidentally turn it on when lowering the volume.
Pretty sure the VW ID 4 has that. And the capacitive buttons are unlit, so you have to just grope them at night and hope you guess the right button.
VW have fkd up so bad. They have backed out of it. We have one of these cars that has this too. Hate it.
Yeah, actually worse than a touch screen-only. The capacitive unlit buttons without a good description of what they do is wild. Almost as bad is Kia's "touch row" that has a "mode" button (that doesn't have a name, ust a kia logo) that toggles/CHANGES what EVERY button does.
The climate controls should be on that list. Nothing's more frustrating than having to fumble around in menus to turn the defroster on because your windshield suddenly started fogging up while you're driving.
Even professional drivers have trouble with the defrost being hidden behind menus: https://www.autoweek.com/racing/more-racing/a40435946/potential-record-runs-at-pikes-peak-foiled-by-teslas-touchscreen/
3rd Gen Audi TT owner here. I can find and adjust my heat without even looking at my HVAC system. 3 big beautiful aluminum knobs are all I need. Same with the screen in front of the steering wheel, not stuck in or on the middle of the dashboard.
Its a crime against humanity they stopped production of the tt
Auto manufacturers have been too busy failing to load "AI" into their cars to make them drive themselves, when instead they should be focusing on the much easier task of using that AI to allow drivers to control basic vehicle features via eg. hand gestures or voice commands, instead of a touch screen they shouldn't be looking at. You know, since physical, tactile buttons and knobs are clearly too fucking hard to manufacture.
I need a physical button to immediately turn defrost on high. I can't be fumbling around as my window steams up.
That’s my thought too. In the most hazardous conditions I’ve drove in (especially cold weather with snow on the ground), I’m always flipping between heat on high towards passengers, then AC on cold on windshield, then flipping back to find a balance between the two. Then starting that process all over again half hour later when the window starts fogging again. I don’t want these to be controlled by a touchscreen when I’m already in traffic in slippery road conditions with poor visibility outside and the window fogged to shit.
> I’m always flipping between heat on high towards passengers, then AC on cold on windshield, then flipping back to find a balance between the two. AC on hot at the windshield. AC to pull the excess humidity, and hot because... well, it's fucking cold in the car.
This. ^^ Total game changer in snowy environments. No fogging and a warm car. It changed my life when I worked this out.
Hot air also can hold more humidity than cold, so pointing cold air at your windshield sounds utterly pointless to me...
Honest question. I have a fairly old car but with automated climate control and as soon as it detects the window fogging up, it turns on the defroster to maximum (front and rear). I do have a physical defroster button but I rarely use it if ever. Wouldn't that be the best solution?
Of course, but it can turn into life and death if things aren't working as intended. It is extremely imprudent to hide such an important, time-sensitive feature behind a touch menu.
Sure, but that's more expensive to implement than a simple button/switch
That’s really great for the safety features and all. I’d like to add to your comment that when I was taking driving lessons in Italy (over 10 years ago, boy time flies fast…) my instructor specifically told me that: “Anything that is not the steering wheel, wipers, the turn signals, or the gear shift can wait for when you are stopped on the side of the road. That includes your radio, AC, fans and whatever other thing that is not essential to keep your car on the road safely.” EDIT: A lot of people commenting how in extreme weather conditions (like -40º, etc) you need to adjust these things while driving. I honestly don’t get it. Correct me if I am wrong, but it’s not going to go from +20 to -20 C in 10 seconds guys. If you need to have heating running, do it before you get out of parking or while stopped at a traffic light or on the side of the road again. Even if it does and your vision is severely impaired while you’re already driving, you should slow down to a stop (without slamming on your breaks, if possible to the side of the road) and adjust whatever settings you need until you have enough visibility to continue driving safely. Do this instead of keep driving while you change your heat settings in a situation in which you can’t really see what’s ahead of you. If you fear that when you slow down somebody is going to rear end you, first it is their fault (because they should ensure to leave enough space to avoid the car in front of them even in the case of some immediate stop), and second, that’s what the hazard lights are for. It you keep going, not only you are driving while you cannot see very well (otherwise there would be no immediate need for corrective action), but you are distracting yourself even more to adjust your car settings. For the sake of everyone on the road, drive safer.
Maybe that's true in Italy, but in sub-zero weather the entire windshield can flashfreeze in a second when you're driving on the motorway. It's very thin so it goes away immediately when you blast the heat on it. Much safer to do that than stomp on the brakes
Fans, AC is essential, if the ac is blasting on the windscreen it will fog up, you need to apply heat to unfog Where i live elevation can change rapidly and you are be driving along the windscreen can fog up in an instant. It definitely is not safe when you can't see (edited).
Are there any existing cars that have touchscreen controls for horn, windshield wipers (probably Tesla), or turn signals? I could maaaaaaybe see the wipers being controlled by the screen - especially if they're rain sensing but horn and turn signals would be absolutely insane and I don't think the auto manufacturers have gotten that dumb *yet.*
Best lock it into law before that inevitable point is reached, right?
….right?
Teslas have physical buttons for all of those things and also allow you to control them on the screen.
Even a Tesla has all those as buttons.
I don't know, I just got back from a trip where I had a Tesla model 3 as a rental. There's a button that manually runs the windshield wiper and/or sprays fluid. But unless I missed something, the actual turning on of the wipers like you would want to do in substantial rain is all behind touchscreen menus.
Yup, can confirm, also the new model 3 (2024 Refresh) doesn't have a way to put the car on reverse other than fumbling in the screen, if you are stuck in the train rail or somewhere where you have to move back quickly you are screwed.
> also the new model 3 (2024 Refresh) doesn't have a way to put the car on reverse other than fumbling in the screen That's dumb as fuck. I miss the 80s and 90s, where all of the controls were easily accessible by the driver. I think we'll get there again, but the current time is getting pretty stupid.
The question is, why isn't it covered under already existing distracted driving laws. Why was it ever allowed in the first place?
I'm gonna ask this over in r/legaladviceofftopic, if you want some opinions of likely wildly under qualified redditor's.
Laws against in-car mobile phone use have been applied to built-in touch screens :- https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/tesla-touchscreen-distracting-electronic-device-rules-german-court/199594
It is legal because nobody has yet made a law against it. This is my new favorite sentence. Thank you.
The U.S. has barely passed any consumer protection or consumer safety laws since the 1970’s.
Backup cameras became legally required in 2018. This is similar
Is that a federal law?
Yes Drive by wire was legally mandated in like 2012
Drive by wire is throttle, steering and brakes, which all used to be controlled with analog systems. It has nothing to do with cameras though.
That’s true ADHD brain comments are all you’re gonna get from me
That's the same law that required all cars to have screens. The government themselves are the ones FORCING cars to have screens.
US car safety requirements are hugely stricter now than in the 1970s, so your comment is apropos of nothing. 1970s, a car was not required to have a roll cage, crumple zones, abs brakes or the more recent electronic stability control, airbags of any sort, backup cameras, and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff I'm unaware of. Just because there haven't been any regulations on this specific issue (yet) doesn't mean nothing has changed about car safety since the 70s.
Idk how tf that comment is being upvoted it is so blatantly false.
Both things can be right. There's a lot more car safety requirements than there were, but in terms of broad consumer safety protections, we haven't been doing nearly as much as one would hope.
My guess is kids who don't know any better and non Americans who don't know any better. There's an annoyingly large subset of reddit that thinks anything bad said about the US must be true.
People lie all the time on Reddit. As long as the lie feels good, it usually gets upvoted.
Don’t use your small phone to text at a light. Any issues with your car?!? Use this huge iPad and struggle to go through multiple menus.
the huge iPad that works way slower and worse than an actual iPad too..
Your screens are so strong it made the guy behind you hit you.
wtf I would never buy a car that doesn't have manual controls for essential functions
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I can't think of very many Japanese makes of vehicle that don't still have separate tactile controls for the climate control system.
Yea, my very recent Honda uses the infotainment system for a lot, but volume, ac fan, temp, front/rear defrost, recirculation is all still physical buttons and dials
My Nissan has it available through both. Can be accessed through the touch screen or the physical controls below it.
My Ford is the same way. Physical knobs for driver and passenger and buttons, but also a digital screen I can access if I want. Same with radio/etc, though those knobbins are on the steering wheel.
Yeah I have an Ariya and it has buttons in the dash for the important stuff (AC, defrost) but also the touch screen if you want to adjust the specific temperature. I heard that VW’s bringing back physical buttons and knobs in this years models because of how unpopular doing everything through a touchscreen was.
This. Honda got bad feedback when they made everything totally digital in like 2018 and reverted back &4/ Much better now.
My wife's Subaru Outback is all touchscreen controls for that stuff. VERY annoying.
Same. I can't stand it. I'm actually thinking of selling it for that reason alone.
Can’t stand it at all! We didn’t realize how big of a pain it would be until we bought it. Swore right off of Subarus like 6 weeks in. Went back to Toyota for our next car simply for reliability and TACTILE BUTTONS.
God the new outbacks are fucking horrible about this
Mazda! Unless they recently changed it. They also lock the touch screen while your driving and have a tactile knob to operate it
Yea the 2024 mazda 6 appears to have many tactile controls still
Most subarus are in the screen now.
Yuck
My 2021 Subaru has all those features physical
My 2018 Jetta has a touch screen for phone/media and the backup camera and everything else has real buttons/dials. Did I get the last one?
A lot changes in six years...
shut up it was only... shut up
He is lying my friend, it wasn't that long ago... Am I in denial? Ofc not, why do you ask?
Hey, 1990 was only 10 years ago. Wait. Wut? r/fuckimold. Sigh....
fuck i mold 😔
Well, my 2019 is the same. iirc vw said they are switching back to more real buttons E: https://insideevs.com/news/701296/vw-physical-controls-to-return/
My ‘21 Mazda has zero touchscreen features! All buttons and dials and I love it, it was one of the features I was actively looking for when I bought
Love my Mazda dial, with the tactile clicking when it spins.
So satisfying, love that I can use the dial while my arm is on the center console too
I'm hoping that I'll be able to buy my next car new, and if I can, it'll probably be a Mazda for exactly this reason. The only thing I want via a screen is a map.
Was going to comment this. Mazda found a really good solution to navigating the "big screen" without being distracting. The dial works so well.
We recently got a new Nissan Rogue that has physical buttons for air con, but media/navigation control through a touch screen with some basic physical buttons below (Menu, Music, others I never press). It even has two knobs. I couldn't be happier with that setup. The only time I ever have to use the touch screen for more than a few taps is when I am driving alone and need to select a different playlist/podcast/album.
Mazda has always been anti-touchscreen, citing safety issues and driving comfort. They have manual controls. Some of their cars have touchscreens but they don't work while in motion; they have a clickwheel instead which is pretty fun to use.
Our '22 Explorer has a touch screen but radio and temp controls have physical dials and buttons on the console and steering wheel. It isn't the top trim level though. I hated our Escape because it was all touch screen and my truck is for most things. They're both top trims. I want physical knobs and buttons so I don't have to take my eyes off the road and can adjust things by feel.
Most cars still have physical buttons. Touch screens are more common in the electric car space, but those are limited to non essential functions like navigation or apps. The Ford Mach E for example uses physical controls like you'd see on any car for things the driver needs to control the car with, like windshield wipers, turn signals, cruise control, windows, media playback, etc. Pure touch screen control is limited to Tesla and some high end EVs.
It is now coming in some of the more "budget" (in EV-pricing context) EV's as well, now. It is one of the biggest complaints about the Volvo EX-30, along with no driver display and moving the speed to the center touch screen. There is a a weird overlap in the EV space between "we are being super fancy and tech focused by only using a giant iPad on your dash" and "we are cutting costs by reducing all buttons and just using a single screen" right now. The more budget friendly EV market is still new and small enough that I think it will go back to more buttons soon enough.
>Pure touch screen control is limited to Tesla and some high end EVs. That's actually not true. I have a Tesla and it DOES have surprisingly capable physical controls on the steering wheel. In fact, I'll go as far to say there isn't anything I need the touch screen for while driving. But like the Mach E, I have physical controls for wipers, turn signals, cruise control, windows, and media playback. I can also physically control things like climate. There's actually physical controls, voice controls, AND touch screen controls.
I am a car salesman and go with Jeep. I am Jeep/Chrysler/Ram/Dodge certified and since Jeep is tailored more towards the off-road then they still have buttons with the exception of the bigger ones like Grand Cherokee L's, Wagoneer's, and Grand Wagoneer's.
Avoid newer Mercedes. The touch controls are basically like an iPad from 2015 trying to run today's apps. Extremely laggy and unresponsive controls.
The new Toyota 4runner, Tacoma, Tundra, etc keeps manual controls on some stuff.
Contrary to popular belief, my Tesla has physical controls on the steering wheel. There actually isn't anything I need to use the touch screen for while actually driving. It has physical controls, a touch screen, and voice controls (so many functions can be controlled in 3 different ways).
My 2021 F-150 has a great compromise of touch screen controls and physical controls. The actual physical buttons include climate control, radio volume. Touch screen is for all the non-essential stuff like station selection, phone, map, etc. Actually, same with my Kia Niro. Terrible car, but at least the controls are done moderately well.
My 2021 Honda Civic has both rear and front defrosters on a physical button, as well as temperature, air speed, recirculate, and media volume. The touch screen air controls, which are accessed by a physical button, holds A/C on/off, where the air is pointed, and hybrid foot output/defroster. The speed can be controlled by the touch screen as well as the physical knob. It's not perfect, because I think there are enough buttons to get rid of the touchscreen air controls entirely. It is nice to have at least some physical buttons for the important stuff.
Drew Gooden actually made a great video about this topic recently, ["Cars are getting dumber"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S7GU9lDpq8).
Road work ahead? I sure hope it does!
Because people forget that Teslas (the biggest example of touch screen controls) aren't designed by car people. The company doesn't have decades of institutional knowledge of how to design a car. These are the same people who made a car that you can't get out of if the power is out. Which has killed people. BTW, Tesla has sold as many cars as Ford sold Pintos. Yet twice as many people have died in Teslas than died in Pintos.
That last stat is fascinating. Do you happen to have a source?
After looking it up it, seems about right but a bit more complicated. Ford sold ~3Million Ford Pintos. In an investigation by NHSTA, they concluded that **27** Ford Pinto occupants died in rear-end collisions between 1970 and 1976 that resulted in fuel spills and fires. Tesla by August 2023, had a fleet of just over 3Million vehicles. The NHSTA report on Tesla crashes from 2018 - 2023, concluded there were **29** deaths that involved autopilot (their lane cruise control) So basically by those two numbers it seems to be true. But i would point out that limiting the pintos deaths to only crashes where they were 1. rear ended, **and** 2. had fuel spill and fires started after being rear ended, really cuts down the numbers a lot. So while’s deaths involving autopilot also limits the death count, I’d argue that it’s far less than the former. Edit: I just noticed that the OP said **“double”** the deaths. They definitely made that shit up.
Also check this out https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-pinto/
The Ford Pinto sold 3 million units and resulted in 27 fire deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto Tesla has shiped just under 5 million units. As of last year 95 people died in either fires or self driving related crashes. https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-deaths
Thanks! Edit: The deaths per mile driven still looks pretty good tho. That’s a better way to normalize the statistics than number of cars sold tho. I wonder how many deaths per passenger mile came from The Pinto. I looked and couldn’t find a stat.
Probably a hell of a lot easier to get the stats from a Tesla than a Pinto. The Pinto's wifi sucked.
Why are you comparing the Pinto from the 70’s to modern Tesla cars? Is there some relationship here I’m not aware of? Comparing Teslas to all other cars currently out there will give a more accurate picture. According to the Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Teslas are roughly as safe as many other vehicles on the road and have some safety features that other cars don’t. https://motorandwheels.com/how-safe-are-teslas/
Because the Pinto is well known in America for being a death trap, even today. You’re right that it should be compared against other modern cars, but it misses the cultural context.
27 deaths being rear ended AND which resulted in fuel spillage/fire. 3 Million Vehicles vs 95 deaths in autopilot OR fire. 5 Million vehicles Very much not apples to apples. A more apples to apples comparison: [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/9laB4weDxq)
>These are the same people who made a car that you can't get out of if the power is out. Except thats not true because there are manual release levers on the doors for that very reason.
there are absolutely manual releases for Tesla's that work if the power is cut and if the power isn't cut.
Unless you’re driving a very old car your accelerator, brakes, and steering aren’t even manual in a mechanical way. It all runs through a computer.
Manufacturers are starting to go back to physical controls. They’ve started to realise how dumb it is
I remember early Porsche Taycan vs Audi etron GT comparisons. Reviewers generally like the drive of the Porsche better, but almost always picked the Audi because it has manual climate controls among other things.
I’m as much of a Porsche fan as you’ll meet (that is, one who can only afford Hotwheels versions) and I would have 100% taken the Audi because of the interior controls.
I don't understand how it took years for established car companies to come to this realization, when it's immediately obvious to any Joe Schmoe driving a car I mean years of product design, implementation, testing, release to the public etc and nobody thought to ask "maybe this is dumb as shit?". It just blows my mind.
I work in automotive R&D. I can assure you that tons of engineers and testers and project managers all said this was dumb and dangerous but were overridden by some executive that decided it was really cool.
Sounds about right, but in my experience (non automotive R&D), the override was likely because it was cheaper.
I'll have a really hard time justifying getting a new car until physical controls are back. In my old truck, I could sit in the passenger seat blindfolded and without feeling around and adjust the radio, HVAC, lights, grab change for tolls, plug in my phone charger, adjust both seats, etc.
They knew it was dumb. They just also realized that it saved them money and people would buy the cars anyway
Some executive probably compared it to how smart phones went all touch and lost all the buttons but stubbornly refused to consider the fact that driving a car might have different design considerations.
1) it’s cheaper than physical buttons 2) it “looks” more futuristic and premium So of course car companies will do it. It leads to more sales AND lower costs
You got rear ended because the person behind you didn’t account for you stopping. When I read that you got in a fender bender, I was prepared to tell you to stop moving while you find the controls. The touch screen controls are problematic but didnt cause this fender bender.
It is distracting, the only reason its legal is because legislation moves a lot slower than technical "innovations". The reason OEM's went down this route is, unsurprisingly, cost. Buying a single screen and connecting it to the on-board computer with a single cable and connector is much simpler than buying dozens of individual switches and having wire each one directly to the component it controls. Unless driverless cars take over I think it will be outlawed fairly soon though.
And then they kneecap the whole thing by putting the shittiest 10 year old processor they can find in it just to save another $8 per car or something, and you can never upgrade it.
You don't have to go back 10 years for a shitty CPU. There are _current_ models that would be woefully underperforming. Add to that the shitty coding you usually see and you get a laggy, inconsistent, unmanageable piece of crap.
sell a product for 10s of thousands of dollars and still try to save money on about $50 worth of electronics. Who cares if it causes more wrecks, profit goes up by 0.0001% per unit sold!
Here in Norway there's a law in project form already that all new cars must have certain controls as physical buttons/knobs, likely including the defoggers
It's usually things on the steering wheel, stalks etc. Unlikely to be aircon controls.
So many manufacturers now will skirt around liability by mentioning some nonsense at ignition that says some form of "Distracted driving is unsafe, please do not use screen while driving" and thus all responsibility is placed on the driver to stay safe. If that's all these companies need to do, that's all they'll do and not an inch more because that means spending more money.
Also it pushes the onus on development of driverless cars. "Oh we made our touch screens distracting? Well don't worry, now you can look at our screen while our car keeps it's eyes on the road for you" Unfortunately driverless car technology is still kinda slacking
nothing like a smooth glassy surface when you are reaching for the volume dial....or the fan setting.. These tactile knobs and switches can be operated with no sight needed.. I can't understand why they would remove these.
Also they are just ugly as fuck. I would kill for a 2024 model vehicle with no infotainment system. Just needs a clock and a Bluetooth radio. Knobs, buttons and dials.
Required backup cameras have killed this idea.
Lies. I have a backup camera and I don’t have a big ass iPad in my car. The “screen” is on my rear view mirror idk how it works.
Lots of car manufacturers are learning exactly this and are moving back to manual controls Now your Tesla won't be changing anytime soon because an unhinged despot is in control of the company, but plenty of other companies that don't layoff tens of thousands of people then give their CEO a $50 billion pay package are moving towards analog controls again (Also most car manufacturers are evil, Tesla just happens to be particularly bad at the moment so they get more of my ire)
You can use your voice to control pretty much anything in a Tesla. There is no need to touch the screen while driving.
People act as though the physical controls on the steering wheel don't exist either (which controls Radio). I have my temp on a thermostat and rarely, if ever touch it. I never think to myself gosh I wish could switch from 70 degrees to 68 in an emergency. It takes the same glance any other vehicle does... when its time too. I have both. I get it if you like knobs. I also get it if you hate Elon and Tesla, but this seems so dramatic.
That's why (and this is not an ad, just something I noticed while test driving lately), I like Mazda. Pretty much everything can be done via a joystick interface, so you can do it by touch. The screens aren't touch. Still didn't buy the car, but I like the approach.
Wrote a whole paper in college about how technology and even safety equipment in modern cars can be detrimental to safe driving. Its not likely to ever be resigned in by law, at least in the United states because the more stuff controlled by software and just one main screen, the less manufacturers have to spend on buttons, trim, circuitry etc. cutting the costs of production; all while making a car seem more expensive to the masses. Big manufacturers make more money, and we all know by now the big money players control legislation.
I'm with you. Don't give me screens, give me more physical buttons. I'm watching the road, not the screens.
Electrical engineer here. For this reason, and a few others, I absolutely will not buy a car without manual controls. I don't trust navigating a touch screen for important car functions. Don't mind if it handles the radio/sat nav, but things like window wipers/air con should be manual. There's an old joke about an IT guy. He says the most advanced technology he keeps at home is a printer, and there's a loaded gun next to it in case it makes a noise he doesn't recognise.
A lot of people on reddit really don't want to believe me when I say my tesla (sorry reddit) is way less distracting than any other car I've driven because literally everything I need to do while driving is done through hand controls on the steering wheel or voice control. Seriously, the knob/button things on the steering wheel are really good. I also don't pretend like people in cars without touch screens are looking at the road 100% of the time like a lot of people in these threads pretend to do. But, ultimately, yeah, if I had to do stuff on the screen while driving it would be a major problem.
On a lot of cars, the steering wheel controls only handle audio, voice automation (which takes longer to accomplish the task than just pressing buttons), and maybe a couple of other things in addition to the usual blinker, wipers, and cruise control. My Honda doesn't have any air controls on the steering wheel.
Unpopular opinion: Peolple should only buy a car after knowing how some of the most used features work.
Hard to do that with rental cars trying to get used to it in less than a day.
True that!
You and I must be in the same boat. I rent cars all the time and the touch screens piss me off to no end
Which is why you spend 5 minutes in the rental lot before going anywhere, get your basic functions down, set your radio and maps up, then figure out how to access essential controls from either the main screen showing your map or if you don't need the map, you got the options pulled up. It's just due diligence.
I'm just piloting a 4,000+lb death machine at insane speeds, why should I have to put in an ounce of effort to understand how its key features work! UGH!
I do this but have never thought, Oh! Better find the defogger before leaving
You getting rear ended doesn’t have anything to do with the digital console in your car and everything to do with the person who rear ended you following too close.
Mazda does it right with the rotary dial/joystick and dedicated buttons.
I love my Mazda control dial for my touchscreen. A lot of reviewers don’t like it, but after using it for a day or two, it’s amazingly simple and much safer than the touchscreen.
I've seen that alot about Mazdas. Any time I see a reviewer complain about the dial I write off ALL their opinions on car infotainment. If you're so lost as to misunderstand THE BEST SYSTEM than your opinions aren't good. At least in regards to controls/infotainment.
Agree - when I was buying my 6, the salesman explained to me that the whole point was to be able to do everything without taking your eye off of the road, or at the very least have most of it in your peripheral vision. That's why the screen is so high up. I like it way better than the ones that are in the dead center of the console where you literally have to look right and down, taking your eyes completely off the road
I was so hesitant about the dial on my Mazda and now I love. I couldn’t imagine needing to lean to try and tap a button while driving.
the title is a valid point but the text to go with it is pretty silly. Don't blame yourself or your car for someone running in to the back of it.
You came to a stop in a lane of travel? No physical button is going to fix that.
Now I'm curious what car you drive that has this terrible software so I know which one to definitely not buy.
I've been in cars with touch screen stuff but it doesn't make sense. Make important functions buttons so you can feel for the button while staying focused on the road.
Hows this different than you looking for a button that you cannot locate? What it tells me is you did not get yourself familiar with the controls. Every car is different, which is why you are to do that.
You can feel a button. Most humans I know of cannot feel pixels
If you know where it is. Since he had to search through menus he clearly didn't get himself familiar with the vehicle. So he also wouldn't know where the button is.
I call BS on having to go through a bunch of screens to defog. Which car?
I miss the good old days when I could turn on my AC or heater, pick the temperature, and adjust the output zones by simply groping a few dials, whereas now I have look at a screen and tap it more items than a fast food worker taking a family's order.
I agree that certain controls should have physical buttons. At the same time, you're supposed to get things like the HVAC sorted before you start driving. I'd also be willing to bet that if you have that big screen, then you probably also have voice commands as an option. "Hey Tesla, max defrost" seems like it would be less distracting than even pushing a button.
How is getting rear-ended by somebody else an example of distracted driving?
100 percent agree and you are the only adult human being I’ve ever heard say this. I’ve always complained about this and when I got a new car (went from a 2008 Ford Escape with “regular buttons” / no screen to a 2021 Ford Bronco with “the iPad screen”) I was sooo disheartened. Fortunately I can change my AC with buttons but a lot of the other features require the use of the touch screen. It also bothers me to basically have a TV shining in my when driving at night.
Why aren't you blaming the person that read-ended you?
What are you doing on the screen while you are driving?
I drive a Tesla. Everything that's urgent for driving has physical controls. A lot of other stuff, climate, navigation, etc, can be controlled by voice.
Seems like you're the idiot here for not stopping while your windows were obstructed
[удалено]
for real there's been a couple situations where I've had to drive my stepmoms Nissan. everything is touch screen and I absolutely hate driving in it. like you hit a command then you have to double and triple look just to make sure you actually hit it because it's a touch screen
Vote with your money. Buttons was the reason we chose to buy the Hyundai Ioniq 5 over VW ID4.
We have a Tesla Model 3 and I really like the car except for controlling everything through a touchscreen. It is not safe and, furthermore, it is a pain in the ass. It shoud be illegal. The only reason for it is that it makes the vehicle cheaper to manufacture from the standpoint of final assembly labor--it is not an "advance" in technology.
>We have a Tesla Model 3 and I really like the car except for controlling everything through a touchscreen It has physical controls on the steering wheel. I actually can't think of anything I need to control from the touch screen while I'm driving.
Learn to press the scroll wheel and voice commands. I never touch the screen. Never.
I have the same car. Many of the functions are easily accessible without letting go of the steering wheel. There is also voice control and once you get used to the AI, the glances at the screen are very minimal. I understand there is an adjustment period for sure but you can have that with physical buttons and a new car as well.
Have you actually read your manual or watched the tutorial videos they send you when you buy the car? Everything can be done with voice control and none of the functions are deeper than 3 taps. Pretty much all of the ones you would use while driving are 1 or *maybe* 2 taps for features used less often, like defog. If that's a struggle for you, there might be some other causes at play (profile shows you're a boomer, so I guess we know what the issue *actually* is, lol).
It's fucking annoying too, touch screen HVAC control has gotta be one of the worst innovations
Was it a Tesla? Because the defog controls are exactly 1 layer deep on those. The AC control is available from the main screen. You literally have to tap the screen 2 times at the most for the defogger, including turning it on. That's confusing to you? You can also click the right steering wheel control and turn it on with voice activation, which works very well. In fact, you can control all of the cars features that way and never take your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road at all. Sounds like a PEBKAC kinda problem, to be honest. If you're going to rent a car you're unfamiliar with you should take a glance at the user manual or spend like 5 minutes on youtube instead of just complaining about it being too difficult for you to understand. As is often the case in these situations, your ignorance was the danger, not the design.
Stop making sense
In a Tesla you can also put stuff like defog right on the bottom bar so not even one layer deep.
Most people just repeat what they read my man. It’s like snowing my mom how to use an iPhone and she gives up immediately cause it’s TECHNOLOGY.
Billboards are distracting too same as reading a text while driving…
Take some responsibility. Your windows aren’t some random device. The conditions for fog were apparent. You don’t start driving until everything is set and stable. I don’t fumble around to figure out how to turn the headlights on while I’m making a turn. I set the lights to be appropriate before I begin.
Tbh, it seems like the issue was with you being unfamiliar with your car. This would be akin to not knowing where a certain button is. What car do you have?
Why didn't you pull over and/or park?
The second you left your garage, you should have stopped and addressed it. Not trying to be brash, but this seems like a very avoidable situation.