No Top Marks for Cars With basics on a Touchscreen

[albion]

https://www.hotcars.com/teslas-lithium-battery-packs-nearly-impossible-to-repair
I suspect there needs to be new insurance bands. Their easier to repair cars were already at the top level of 50.

Touchscreens are dirt cheap in comparison. And they would be ok if it was always 1 press only.

 

[presta]

This was on the World Service last night, but I missed all but the last 10-15 seconds of it.

Another issue with touch screens is trying to touch the right button while your arm is outstretched

That's why I insist on buttons you can feel before you press instead of buttons you've pressed before you can feel them, the feel of a control panel makes a datum which your brain can use to steady your arm before you press. Try writing with a pen & paper without resting your hand on the desk.

they would be ok if it was always 1 press only.

They wouldn't. You can feel for an ordinary button without taking your eyes off the road.

 

[figbat]

Most cars with touchscreens also use voice control. I am coming around to this but I assume those who are averse to touchscreens probably correlate with those reluctant to chat to their car. Voice control does, on the face of it, solve the problem of touchscreens but I bet a lot of people don’t use it because of shyness, ignorance or sheer obstinacy.

 

[MichaelW2]

F35 pilot:
"The drawback is in the complete lack of tactile response. It can be challenging to press the correct ‘button’ on the display whenever the jet is in motion as it is quite a bumpy ride at times. At present I am pressing the wrong part of the screen about 20% of the time in flight due to either mis-identification, or more commonly by my finger getting jostled around in turbulence or under G. One of the biggest drawbacks is that you can’t brace your hand against anything whilst typing –"

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Touch screen ought to be disabled whilst driving.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Voice control does, on the face of it, solve the problem of touchscreens

It doesn’t because it takes concentration away from driving onto non essential tasks.

 

[presta]

F35 pilot:
"The drawback is in the complete lack of tactile response. It can be challenging to press the correct ‘button’ on the display whenever the jet is in motion as it is quite a bumpy ride at times. At present I am pressing the wrong part of the screen about 20% of the time in flight due to either mis-identification, or more commonly by my finger getting jostled around in turbulence or under G. One of the biggest drawbacks is that you can’t brace your hand against anything whilst typing –"

Yup. Just common sense really, but status competition and cost saving trump common sense and safety.

 

[presta]

It doesn’t because it takes concentration away from driving onto non essential tasks.

Even menus do that. These two are functionally the same instrument, but the older one on the left is far easier to use because your thought train isn't interrupted by searching through menus for what you want:

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

The police give people 6 points so I believe for using a mobile phone whilst driving. Mainly texting probably, can't see why this any different. Very hard to use any touch screen which responds to touch only without looking at it, far more than if you were using a rotary knob or something to control things on it. Why ventilation controls are on a touchscreen is just crazy.

 

[Alex321]

It certainly seems strange that you're not supposed to touch a mobile phone touchscreen when driving but somehow it's all right to touch one attached to your dashboard.

That isn't true.

You are allowed to use a mobile provided you don't hold it. So if it is in a cradle, you can touch the screen.

About time too.

No top safety rating if you have the essential functions on a touchscreen.

There needs to be more though, people faff with the lights, heater, & radio on the move, so they need to come off the screen as well.

Heater and radio controls have never been anywhere other than the central console on any car I have owned, and that is really no different to having them on a touchscreen.

Lights have usually been on stalks behind the steering wheel, and should stay there.

 

[presta]

Heater and radio controls have never been anywhere other than the central console on any car I have owned, and that is really no different to having them on a touchscreen.

It's completely different, for reasons I (and others) made plain above. I've never had radio or heater controls that were hidden in a menu, or that you can't feel for before you activate them.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

That isn't true.

You are allowed to use a mobile provided you don't hold it. So if it is in a cradle, you can touch the screen.

Heater and radio controls have never been anywhere other than the central console on any car I have owned, and that is really no different to having them on a touchscreen.

Lights have usually been on stalks behind the steering wheel, and should stay there.

Agreed in the first part, that's the law.

Very much disagree in the second part. With conventional controls a driver is able to make adjustments without averting their eyes from the road. Touch screens make that impossible as there's no haptic/touch feedback - which is somewhat ironic, given their name!

 

[figbat]

It doesn’t because it takes concentration away from driving onto non essential tasks.

No more than using a button or switch mounted on a central console would. Arguably you can operate the voice controls whilst keeping your eyes on the road. If these tasks are unimportant then you can wait until the conditions are appropriate before operating them.

The worse thing about voice control is having to recall the precise phrase to say in order to get what you want. This is improving with cars now running version of Google or whatnot that can interpret what you say, rather than simply expect it to quoted verbatim.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No more than using a button or switch mounted on a central console would.

You can keep your eyes and brain on the road with switches or buttons. Just use muscle memory. Can you do that with a touch screen?

 

[fossyant]

You can keep your eyes and brain on the road with switches or buttons. Just use muscle memory. Can you do that with a touch screen?

Correct. My car had one of the first Nav Screen systems, where most stuff is accessed via the screen, but it's all button controlled. Tap either the left or right button brings up different menu's, whilst the big six buttons all change function depending on screen. Heating, tap button, press either of middle two large buttons to adjust.

Sat nav all controlled by buttons and a joystick. Wife's car, very similar, lots of buttons, but the screen, it's touch for navigation - it's a pain in the ass to change anything (i.e. requires you to stop or get the passenger to alter preferences). Radio/heating etc etc all via buttons.

Important simple stuff needs to be real buttons.