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European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

arstechnica.com

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Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#121

Post by Aloisius »

aurareturn wrote: post #4

Around 10 years ago, I started looking into buying a new car. I couldn't believe the number of cars that switched to touch controls even 10 years ago. It boggles my mind just how car makers thought it was safer/easier to have touch in a car while one is driving. I refused to buy any car that replaced physical buttons with touch controls 10 years ago and I still have this rule today. Then again, it also boggles my min…

> You can barely see the red light in sunlight and it's harder to tell the red light from brake lights

I can't say that I've ever had trouble seeing the red turn signals in the sun. Being able to see them in the sun from a few hundred feet away is legally required in most, if not all, states.

Do you have trouble seeing brake lights too?

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#122

Post by evanjrowley »

I am waiting for the day when mechanical keyboard enthusiasts finally put kailh hot swap sockets into a car's controls. Then we can have debates about whether car controls should be tactile, linear, or clicky. GMK keycaps for German cars. Japanese cars with Topre switches. Anime dye-sub keycaps on ricers. QMK firmware forked and re-written in MISRA-C. It would be grand.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#123

Post by golergka »

evanjrowley wrote: post #122

I am waiting for the day when mechanical keyboard enthusiasts finally put kailh hot swap sockets into a car's controls. Then we can have debates about whether car controls should be tactile, linear, or clicky. GMK keycaps for German cars. Japanese cars with Topre switches. Anime dye-sub keycaps on ricers. QMK firmware forked and re-written in MISRA-C. It would be grand.

Some people should be chiming in to say how annoying the click sounds are to the passengers.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#124

Post by golergka »

dexwiz wrote: post #29
bhpm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn’t it be safer to require all cars to have voice controls? Then the driver doesn’t have to move their hand off the wheel at all.

Not all drivers can speak. Not all drivers speak in a way a voice control can reliably understand them. Not all drivers are in environments where voice commands can be easily understood, like loud music. If you are driving a car you likely have the ability to push a button.

Not all drivers can use their legs, they have cars specially fitted for them.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#125

Post by evanjrowley »

golergka wrote: post #123
evanjrowley wrote: post #122

I am waiting for the day when mechanical keyboard enthusiasts finally put kailh hot swap sockets into a car's controls. Then we can have debates about whether car controls should be tactile, linear, or clicky. GMK keycaps for German cars. Japanese cars with Topre switches. Anime dye-sub keycaps on ricers. QMK firmware forked and re-written in MISRA-C. It would be grand.

Some people should be chiming in to say how annoying the click sounds are to the passengers.

I wonder if RGB backlighting would increase or decrease safety.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#126

Post by gamepsys »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #114
cwillu wrote: post #2

A start, but not far enough: anything a driver might be reasonably expected to do while driving should have a physical control. Zero-force, zero-feedback, zero-travel controls should be illegal for such functions.

Obvious limitation is something like Maps and media. My guess ones that use mechanical dials (i.e. Lexus until ~ year ago) cause more distraction than touchscreen by simply being harder to use and taking more time to solve your problem. Given how well chatgpt's voice recognition works - why not just put it on all cars!

> Obvious limitation is something like Maps and media

I would love to see some data to see how dangerous it is to operate Maps and Media apps on a touch screen while operating a moving vehicle. This is data modern automakers should have access to. I suspect the answer is that it does reduce safety.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#127

Post by seattle_spring »

roywiggins wrote: post #107
bhpm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn’t it be safer to require all cars to have voice controls? Then the driver doesn’t have to move their hand off the wheel at all.

Being able to honk the horn or turn the windshield wipers on from the back seat would certainly be an interesting feature, especially for people with kids.

"Alexa, honk at this asshole"

"Ok, calling Hank Armstrong"

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#128

Post by Vecr »

magicalhippo wrote: post #70
spdustin wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't feel the hydraulic feedback in the brake pedal (just the ABS buzzing), and gas pedals in many modern EFI vehicles feel more like foot-operated potentiometers than throttle linkages.

> gas pedals in many modern EFI vehicles feel more like foot-operated potentiometers than throttle linkages. In my EV it literally is a potentiometer. I really miss the feel of a physical throttle linkage on the snow and ice, I feel it's much more difficult to judge grip. Also, since it's just a pot, I don't know why there's not a speed mode for it, it to make it operate the cruise control speed set-point rather than…

Multiple cross-checked hall effect sensors, hopefully. Same concept though.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#129

Post by timothyduong »

bhpm wrote: post #23
cwillu wrote: post #2

A start, but not far enough: anything a driver might be reasonably expected to do while driving should have a physical control. Zero-force, zero-feedback, zero-travel controls should be illegal for such functions.

Wouldn’t it be safer to require all cars to have voice controls? Then the driver doesn’t have to move their hand off the wheel at all.

I hope you don't have any speech impediments, accents, and english is your first language.

Re: European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls

#130

Post by teruakohatu »

thepasswordis wrote: post #100
cfr2023 wrote: post #86

The trend of touch screens replacing physical controls in domains where muscle memory is an advantage is an utter atrocity. No amount of interface versatility/flexibility can come close to touching the utility of not having to take your eyes off your subject. NONE.

Not to mention that on cars like Tesla, UI updates will change the location of these buttons . This drives me INSANE. The other one: some of the Tesla UIs feel like they were made with "minimalism" in mind. For instance the rear defroster vs the windshield defroster. I still, 3 years into my model Y, have no idea which is which, and every time I need to defrost the front windshield it's like a fight against the HVAC…

Why do you love a car with anti-features that annoy you so much? I am genuinely curious, as I have only driven a Tesla once or twice.
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