Notso_fastLane

Aircraft have had standardized controls (with each type of control knob having a different shape/feel) for any aircraft from a Cessna 152 to a Boeing 747. In addition, the FAA disallows electronic distractions such as tablets and smart phones in the cockpit during certain critical times.

We should do that for automobiles, but it will probably never happen.

genec

Oddly, cars DID have such tactile controls before the damn touch screens... and things like radios were standardized... 5 buttons and two knobs.

The argument that drivers "wanted" the infotainment systems is bogus... they never knew they existed before. They were SOLD on those systems. And few drivers read the 450 page manuals that come with new cars. My wife's 2016 Mazda 3 has such a manual... I'm a technical guy, and STILL have to refer to the manual for some things... fortunately, I usually ride in the co-pilot seat.

When I drive, I don't even use the Bluetooth.

I keep my phone unlinked to the car... and buried in my pocket. If you call... leave a message... it will remember you, until I am ready to pull over and safely deal with a call or message. Funny how well and conveniently that works... yet somehow folks just HAVE to answer the dang messages RIGHT NOW... as if nothing else is going on.

My '97 F150 has none of that stuff... and frankly, I still feel like it has too much electronics buried in it. The damn windshield wipers are electronically controlled... however, every control IS a tactile knob, switch or slider... not a tiny button or touch screen. I can find those controls with my eyes closed.

Paul Barnard

I am a fisherman. Am I ever familiar with the annoyances of a glass screen when using polarized glasses. I have to remove them to see the electronic screens on my boat.

MikeyMK

Motoring journalists promote it too, telling people it's what they should expect, and criticizing vehicles with basic systems.

And it's just stupidity. How easy is it to turn the blowers on in an old car? Turn a dial. 1-4 speeds. No need to take your eye off the road.

Now? Seems like half of new cars require you to go into the infotainment screen to access such simple functions, and you can't do that without looking at the touch screen.

How can anyone be impressed by, or want use of, this crap?

genec

As someone in an earlier thread pointed out, there is often a way to use certain features without looking at the touch screen... and yeah, in my wife's car... there are a bunch of tiny buttons, that I have to look at to figure out where and what they are. Fan speed, for instance, is NOT a slider control, or even a knob... it is an up arrow button that has to be jabbed at repeatedly.

So this shows that even the attention given to old style tactile controls is somewhat lost.

My old '97 F150 has one control on the turn signal stem... rotate it to control the windshield wiper. It has 3 LARGE buttons on the steering wheel. Cruise control on/off, speed up, slow down.

The rest of the controls on the dash are sliders, knobs, and positive position selector switches. And they are all big.

The radio however is a PITA... my son gave me an aftermarket radio with CD player... tiny buttons... tiny display with too much useless information. Fortunately, a very large volume knob. I tend to listen to one station, if I listen at all... so vol up/vol down works fine. The real irony is the damn thing has a clock function... that would take a magnifying glass to read... totally useless... but no doubt some marketing guy said... "can we put in a clock?"

tcs

Yep, fussing around with cars at the local new car show, I was appalled at the complicated, non-intuitive, non-tactile touch screen controls on modern autos. Have the manufacturers all laid off their human factors engineers?

Then in a rental, they remove the owner's manual.

Move the accelerator to a stalk on the steering column. Ignition advance is on a second steering column stalk. The clutch is on a left-hand lever, which also acts as a gear shift sometimes. The parking brake is on a lever next to the clutch lever. Forward shift is on the left pedal but this also involves the clutch lever; engaging reverse is on the right pedal and the brake is the middle pedal.

Enjoy your drive in a Ford Model T.

MikeyMK

I was watching hill climbing at Goodwood Festival of Speed recently, and a vintage Mercedes required the passenger to manually pump the petrol to the engine...

genec

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/08...uld-too/?amp=1

Sure, touchscreens have their place, but not as a major component for controlling features in a moving car.

The answer is to go back to simplr knobs and sliders... and lock out touch screens while the vehicle is moving.
There should also be a fast tactile control to black out the screens.

genec

Hey, new Porche has 5 screens...

Go figure.

Meanwhile...https://jalopnik.com/the-electric-po...1837487790/amp

SHBR

Boiling frog syndrome.

Full automation is being rolled out.

Driving ability continues to decline, go figure.

I opted out years ago, carnage isn't my thing.

genec

It may be in some distant future that only cyclists understand the "rules of the road."

SHBR

Not everyone follows the rules of the road, or even know they exist.

There are plenty of cyclists that fit into this category.