Touch Screen Controls are a Danger

[219]

I also hate the trend.

For non essentials like the stereo / sat nav it’s ok but for basic functions like heating controls grrr! They are irritating for so many reasons and bloody dangerous.

The answer is to refuse to buy vehicles so equipped , when it hurts sales , manufacturers will stop putting these things in .

Sales figures are the only feedback they understand.

 

[219]

Do you never phone a restaurant? Or a shop? Or a garage? Or a hotel? Or a company? Or a hospital?

Not while I’m driving ; in fact I rarely make outgoing calls of any kind whilst driving , and I only answer incoming calls if they are both important and circumstances relatively safe - most of the time I let calls go to voicemail and call back .

For the calls you describe, where do you get the numbers from that you are manually dialling ? If reading them from somewhere that does not strike me as at all safe . If getting them from the internet you can usually dial from a hyperlink.

 

[219]

For those who only do short journeys that may be the case, but any long journey in this country can involve changing the cruise speed between 70 and 50 dozens of times!

Which is easy to do with at most two nudges of the stalk : increase speed , accelerate then set ; decrease speed either disengage then set or brake then set - so simple .

 

[219]

But again, what relevance does that have to the topic of the thread? Functions available on one mobile phone or another has nothing to do with the dangers caused by car manufacturers removing vital functions from stalks and buttons to touchscreens.

Danger can also be caused by car manufacturers adding too many buttons - such as those allowing manual dialling whilst driving .

 

[219]

True. Although modern cruise control - on cars with touch screens - is often adaptive which negates the need to tinker with it - regardless of whether CC is controlled through a touch screen or dedicated stalk.

It should be possible to have cruise control linked to sat nav to follow the speed limits and , in conjunction with distronic or equivalent to adjust to the traffic flow at any speed up to the limit .

 

[219]

That's why I suggested the first part of post #35 until such automation is ready.

The other likely development is , as cars become more intelligent, is that cameras in the car will be able to recognise and read speed limit signs , even temporary ones , and set CC accordingly .

Systems already recognise pedestrians and other road users , follow lane markings etc , so it isn’t much of a stretch.

 

[219]

But you are missing the fundamental point, which is that, by definition, a smooth glass screen doesn't provide the facility to use it without looking at it unless the number of functions is restricted to three or four at most. Try typing a text on your phone or pad with your eyes shut and you'll get the idea.

But why would you want to when you can dictate and ask Siri to send a text .

Re the touch screens , they could put Braille type bumps , or recessed dimples , onto/into the surface and ensure that any soft buttons are going to be located at these pre defined positions , so they can be located by touch ; the ‘bumps’ could even be on a screen protector overlay which could be changed or updated .

Having a small number of user definable hard buttons around the edge of a screen would be another option .

 

[219]

How can the automotive industry be pursuing safety features like head up displays which are in the line of sight and at the same time be introducing distracting touch screens. I suspect that the industry is not unanimously in favour and that there is much tension between engineers and the marketing depts.

The head-up display story – and why your car needs it | Autocar

One American study revealed that if a driver's eyes wander off the road for more than two seconds then the chance of an incident doubles. Two seconds might not sound like much but, at 70mph, you'll have travelled over 200 feet - about the length of 14 cars.

Some drivers need to remember that it is within their power to choose when they can look away from the road to do things like alter the heater , change radio stations and other non essential items ; things like lights , wipers , indicators need to be on physical controls .

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The other likely development is , as cars become more intelligent, is that cameras in the car will be able to recognise and read speed limit signs , even temporary ones , and set CC accordingly .

Systems already recognise pedestrians and other road users , follow lane markings etc , so it isn’t much of a stretch.

Yes, the very latest adaptive cruise control yst does just what you describe, including speed limit sign recognition

 

[Deleted member 6183]

@Pontoneer
You need to get with the times and learn how to multi-quote.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

@Pontoneer
You need to get with the times and learn how to multi-quote.

You need to get with the times Grandad, multi quote is so last year. Multi car insurance is where the smart money goes these days. When I got my Mazda3 Sport Nav I had to get a multi car policy because I couldn’t let the Honda Civic Type-S go, it’s just too good, and I had done so many road trips in it. That and my mum said that whenever she needed it I was out in it street racing, and so I needed to get my own car. That’s when I decided to make my childhood dream come true, I still remember now being sat in Mrs Smith’s English lessons doodling the stunning lines of M3SN, and I’ve had to wait a three long years to make it a reality. I’ve never been given a head start in life, I’ve had to work hard for everything I’ve got, so I was so proud of everything I had achieved as I sat and watched my Mum sign the PCP agreement in the Mazda dealer that day. I almost didn’t get the Nav version but I decided, I work hard, so I’m going to play hard, and I got the Nav. Life is too short for regrets. Anyway, back to multi car insurance. Just because my mum let me drive her Honda Civic Type-S that didn’t mean I was going to let her drive my Mazda3 with Sky Activ control, but I let her put it on her multi car policy. I could absolutely have afforded to get my own insurance I just couldn’t be bothered, more time for driving, feeling the beautiful balance. The HCTS was probably the best car in the real world and certainly the fastest point to point, but times have moved on grandad, and there’s a new kid in town. That kid drives an M3SN.

 

[Rashman]

I hate steering wheels cluttered with buttons , other than the horn ( although in the 50s the horn ring doubled as the indicator control , which was nice because you could operate it regardless of the rotation of the wheel or position of your hands , unlike stalks which are fixed in one place ; lots of fiddly buttons on steering wheels are just a nuisance) .

I know what you mean mate.
I bought a new C Class as a daily and there are far too many controls on the steering wheel.
Limited and cruise controls should not be on the steering wheel either.
A couple of times, I’ve accidentally flicked the limiter switch and found myself in what feels like limp mode until I realise what I’ve done.
And those little touch pads on the steering wheel are nothing more than a gimmick too.
New c class is a pleasant enough place to sit, but there are many reasons why I prefer sitting in the cockpit of the CLK63.

 

[markjay]

..Voice control is the answer long term though as already stated.

I would say that the answer long term is a combination of voice control and switches (mechanical or touch).

Voice control still has several unresolved issued (apart for understanding dialects and foreign accents). For example, at current you prime the voice control system by pressing a button, to prevent it from picking-up on words said in a normal conversation, which causes a delay, making it unsuitable for (say) flashing your headlights, or for a quick windscreen wipe, etc. Then, it won't work when there's strong background noise, for example loud radio or music, using the horn, or when you have passengers in the car talking (or a baby crying, dog barking, etc).

 

[markjay]

I love my music and am always listening to it but I can't say I make that many changes so in that situation it might be tricky for you and those in a similar situation.

Voice control would have to be a lot better than it is now which I think will come.

The car being more intelligent would probably remove some of those changes e.g. learning the driver preferences.

Ultimately full automation is probably where it will end up and you can do what you like...

Technology was supposed to allow the driver greater concentration on the road ahead. And yet someone thought it would be a good idea to put a small PC in the cockpit.... what next, an XBOX? PS4? Don't get me wrong, I love technology, but the driver's environment needs to be simplified, not made more complicated.

 

[markjay]

The answer is to refuse to buy vehicles so equipped , when it hurts sales , manufacturers will stop putting these things in .

Sales figures are the only feedback they understand.

Agreed, in an ideal world.... but it's like saying that the way to beat drug usage is by getting the addicts to boycott the dealers.... people are hooked on technology, the Tesla's massive LCD display (and computer behind it) were a massive selling point when it first came out 8 years ago.

 

[Grockel]

I don't have a touch screen in my car but still find I have to take my eyes off the road to adjust the fan speed, the buttons are so small! Even my old 06 mondeo could control fan speed by voice!

 

[markjay]

I don't have a touch screen in my car but still find I have to take my eyes off the road to adjust the fan speed, the buttons are so small! Even my old 06 mondeo could control fan speed by voice!

I agree, and I question the logic behind placing the heating controls so low in the cabin (on both my W203 and W204).

Also, on the W203 the hazard flasher switch was very easily accessible at the top of the dash, on the W204 it is half way down, which isn't great.

 

[st13phil]

I love technology, but the driver's environment needs to be simplified, not made more complicated.

Just think back to the older SAAB's that even extinguished the illumination of non-critical instruments at night to minimise distractions - as so often is the case with technology, we seem to have lost the knowledge we previously had.

people are hooked on technology, the Tesla's massive LCD display (and computer behind it) were a massive selling point when it first came out 8 years ago.

Let's be honest about this. The "user interface" in the Tesla's was designed by tech geeks to appeal to tech geeks, not by people schooled in and knowledgeable of automotive ergonomics. The original target market was happy to overlook the ergonomic deficiencies and drawbacks because it looked "high tech" and impressed their peers, never mind the small matter that it was an inappropriate use of technology. Subsequently, other manufacturers - including those like Mercedes-Benz who really ought to know better - jumped on the bandwagon as "it's what the customer wants" (even when it isn't what the customer needs).

Voice control is another classic tech innovation to deal with a problem that shouldn't (and needn't) exist. It's fascinating that in this very thread it's perceived to be the solution to the problems of using touch-screens to control functions in a car, when if people stepped back and actually analysed the root cause they's realise that the problems to be solved are borne of the very technology that was supposed to be the futuristic step forward.

 

[unimog]

It should be possible to have cruise control linked to sat nav to follow the speed limits and , in conjunction with distronic or equivalent to adjust to the traffic flow at any speed up to the limit .

Mercedes Benz Driver ASSISTANCE pack with Distronic plus, car to x communication and Route Based speed adaptation. Been around since the 213 E class was launched, available on all vehicles as an option pack.

The route based speed adaptation and traffic sign assist alters the vehicle speed according to information received from other vehicles using car to x technology (and smart motorways), sat nav mapping or by information the car reads from road signs, and so far I have no reason to doubt its functionality. It will also adjust the speed for tight curves in the road. Its a little crass, especially as Derbyshire has lots of 60/30/60/40 speed limits all close together and the car slows/accelarates with little finesse but it is effective.

Notice how I highlighted 'assistance'. This is the same suite that Tesla zealots refer to as full self driving capability, of which it most certainly is not. It is there to assist and enhance safety of which it does 100% effectively.

I don't find the screens in the GT intrusive, and it still has hard buttons for all the functions you want quick access too. Which I hardly use as the thumb scroll on the steering wheel has haptic feed back and is more effective, and I don't need to look down.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The "user interface" in the Tesla's was designed by tech geeks to appeal to tech geeks, not by people schooled in and knowledgeable of automotive ergonomics.

Do you have any evidence of that?

It seems a bit far fetched that even someone like Elon Musk would allow a car to be made without input from such experts.