Oh they will when it starts to hurt sales and competitors with REAL controls start taking those sales away .I can't see mb ever listening to customer feedback even tho touchscreens for every control inside the vehicle are bloody dangerous!
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Oh they will when it starts to hurt sales and competitors with REAL controls start taking those sales away .I can't see mb ever listening to customer feedback even tho touchscreens for every control inside the vehicle are bloody dangerous!
Not quite : it is unlawful to hold AND use an interactive device whilst 'driving' ; the wording means that both conditions have to be satisfied .We all know that it’s illegal to touch, hold or use a phone, sat nav, tablet, while driving and even when
It seems absurd that one can, and in many cases must use a (mega) screen on the car to perform basic or essential functions.
- stopped at traffic lights
- queuing in traffic
- supervising a learner driver
- driving a car that turns off the engine when you stop moving ("Stop/Start")
- holding and using a device that’s offline or in flight mode
This is particularly absurd when that mega screen mirrors the screen on one's mobile 'phone enabling one to use all the functions including making calls, using a sat nav app. etc....
Automatic answering via a carkit . When connected to my Bury system my phone can be set to auto answer immediately , after a preset number of rings , or not to answer automatically , which is how mine is set since I rarely take or make calls whilst driving .It's not illegal to touch it, only to use it whilst holding it. Otherwise how would you answer a call?
Nope - those third party sites are wrong .Sorry - sadly I'm right !
"You are not allowed to touch your phone for any reason. If you really need to handle your phone, stop in a safe place and turn the car’s engine off."
Source:-
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The 2023 UK law on using a mobile phone when driving
Read up on the latest New phone laws while driving 2023 UK which close loopholes and impose harder-hitting penalties.www.parkers.co.uk
"Holding and using a phone or any other electronic device that can send or receive data while driving is illegal. That refers specifically to using the device with your hands, whether online, offline or flight mode. "
Source: Mobile phone use while driving – Laws and penalties in the UK
My Bury carkit has a small touch panel which can be used to accept or reject calls , accept voice commands such as 'dial home' or to increase/reduce volume during a call ; I have it affixed just left of the instrument cluster , with the phone cradle down in the passenger footwell , out of the way .This is what it says, agreed. And I suppose that the correct and legal way to make or take calls in these circumstances would be by using voice commands only.
The funny thing, though, is that you can touch-click 'accept' on the car's infotainment system, but not on the mobile phone.
You could not hold a device without touching it , but as long as you are not USING it for any purpose , then you CAN hold it .I think it's the way it's worded - you're not allowed to touch your device while holding it.
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Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving
It’s illegal to hold a phone or a sat nav while driving - you'll get penalty points, a fine and can be banned from driving.www.gov.uk
I would not have one of those cars with buttons all over the steering wheel ; the wheel is for steering the car , nothing else apart from on many having the horn readily available .That's just a button on my steering wheel that's accessible without removing my hands from the wheel.
Not that I'll use it anyway, because I disagree with holding telephone conversations whilst driving.
You can touch it for any purpose as long as you are not holding it .I think you are allowed to touch 'accept' and 'end call' on your phone, as long as you're not holding it.
No , that is not correct - there is no prohibition against holding the device as long as you are not using it for any purpose . The offence is to hold AND use , not either one or the other .I believe not! The RAC say:-
Hands-free phone use: the law
There are two things to remember here:
Any hands-free devices should be fully set up before you drive, so you can take calls without handling the device.
- You cannot hold your phone when behind the wheel, even momentarily (this includes when supervising a learner driver).
- To use your phone for communication you must have hands-free access.
Source:- Mobile phone driving laws - what is and isn't illegal? | RAC Drive
I think the breathalyser rule has ceased now - I'm sure I read it somewhere recently .The French ban drivers, and cyclists, from using earpieces of any description when driving, so you can't make calls (by using voice instruction), or listen to music when driving.
Obviously the French do live in their own little world. ("You must carry a breathalyser to check yourself to see if you have been drinking")
but it is possible that such.... nonsense... might cross the Channel one day.
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Unless you have a fully optioned 124 , you will never have a full row of rocker switches above the heater controls ; and the window and seat heater controls are easily found by touch .The s205 centre console switches are exactly the same all in a line. Its impossible to select them without looking at them or memorising them. The old w202 and s124 switch layouts were more intuitive. I could deal with these by touch alone.
Good .Touch screens could have a limited life .
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Car makers told to ditch distracting touchscreens
From 2026, crash testing body Euro NCAP will introduce rules that downgrade safety ratings of new vehicles that do not have easy-to-use buttons on the dashboard to control simple operations.www.thisismoney.co.uk
I knew I'd read that somewhere .I am well aware that some seek out every opportunity to have a 'pop' at France and the French, but they reall must keep up!
From January 2020
I wouldn't want any car included system ; I always fit my own high end audio system which has been in and out of numerous cars over the last 30 or so years . In fact I have three complete sets of components to kit out different cars .Here's the What Car? article:
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Best car infotainment systems: tested and rated
We wouldn’t want to be without our infotainment systems, but they can be distracting on the move. We test 20 cars to see which is the best for keeping your eyes on the roadwww.whatcar.com
On the subject of driver distraction, the stat's indicate that it was a contributing factor in best part of one-third of collisions resulting in road deaths (up from less than a quarter in 2013):
On my Ponton , and all 1950s Mercedes , the horn ring doubled as the indicator control and was operated by turning it left or right , which could be done regardless of the position of hands or wheel . Things have gone so far backwards since that elegant design .Tesla are a major offender. Wipers, Hazard Warning Lights and SOS call are all touch screen activated - and before someone pipes up that they can all be voice activated, I know.
Inexplicably, Tesla has also moved the turn signal operation to a button on the 9-o'clock steering wheel spoke on the latest incarnation of the Model 3 which has got to be the single daftest example of fiddling with driving controls "because we can" that I can think of.
Terrible idea, I love the solid mechanical buttons and switches in my E430
Being an advocate of the Devil for a moment, in 2005 young people told me that my mobile phone with a touchscreen and no keypad was pointless, and coincidentally was covered in finger marks.Me too
MB will follow the others like a Leeming as its only a matter of time. Speaking with younger members of my family, they too
dislike the almost 100% touchscreens. They've said what I've said "who do they test this stuff on and is the car static when they do these trials."
The bigger screens, you get finger marks on them and the screen looks like a bit of rubbish.
Euroccap will push motor manufacturers back to more buttons as they intend to incorporate in their safety ratings the ease of using these touch screens whilst driving.
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