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307 points MBCook | 11 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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bunderbunder ◴[] No.42151125[source]
I'd love to see some sort of multiple regression or ANOVA on this, instead of singling out a single variable. Is car brand really the best independent predictor? Or is it specific design decisions you tend to see in certain brands?

(Like, say, maximizing driver distraction by consolidating a bunch of essential controls and information displays into a touchscreen display that's really difficult to operate when it's sunny outside. Just to pick something at random, of course.)

Somewhat related, I was recently shopping for refrigerators, and fell down a data rabbit hole. If you just look at the overall style of fridge, French doors look like a terrible option from a reliability perspective. But then, digging in a bit more, it turns out that's kind of a spurious correlation. Actually it's the presence of bells and whistles like through-door ice dispensers that kill a refrigerator's reliability. And then perhaps on top of that the amount of extra Rube Goldberg machine you need to make a chest height ice dispenser work in a bottom-freezer French door refrigerator creates even more moving parts to break. But a those problems don't apply to a model that doesn't have that feature.

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1. aziaziazi ◴[] No.42151753[source]
> essential controls

Can’t you drive a Tesla without it? I expect the screen was for radio, gps, AC…

I agree those are distracting through.

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2. jvanderbot ◴[] No.42151789[source]
Rent a Tesla and try to adjust the mirrors while driving I dare you.

Less difficult but much more common:

Change the radio station / music.

Change the climate control.

Both of those require taking your eyes off the road and navigating through multiple touch screen-only modal windows. I have owned one for years and it is a distraction factory.

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3. aziaziazi ◴[] No.42151934[source]
I get it but Climate and Music can wait right? It’s a vehicle not an entertainment room. And adjusting mirors while driving seems crazy and dangerous!! changing something that supposed to be set before departure?

At least that’s what taught at driving school and written in texts I guess… too sad the distraction factory is so dangerous. I wouldn’t drive that.

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4. bunderbunder ◴[] No.42151996{3}[source]
Engineers should not ask reality to adapt to their designs; they should adapt their designs to reality.
5. Veserv ◴[] No.42152564[source]
Gear selection is done via the screen on a Model 3 [1]. Technically, there is a touchscreen button on the rearview mirror unit, but I doubt anybody actually uses that.

Alternatively, you can use the AI gear selector from park which guesses what direction you want to go.

[1] https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_eu/GUID-E9B387D...

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6. duderific ◴[] No.42152636{3}[source]
I dunno, I adjust climate and music frequently while driving. I have a Volvo now which requires touchscreen for those things, and I can't stand it. Otherwise a great car though.

After a while you "learn" to do it without looking at the screen too much. Nonetheless, it's far inferior to having tactile controls.

7. buffington ◴[] No.42152726[source]
All of these things can be done without looking if you use voice commands. They can be done with a scroll wheel/button as well if you spend five minutes, once, to set your preferences for what the wheel controls.

That said, I hate the touch screen only UI of my car. There are times when I can't use voice or the scroll wheel and want (not so much need) to do something with the menus. In most cars, it's trivial to do most things by feel if you know where the buttons are.

Even if you could get really good at only touching the "right" place on the touch screen, one software update can change things enough to where it's now accessed differently.

8. buffington ◴[] No.42152763{3}[source]
The mirror's angle can change, while driving, in such a way that pulling over to stop and fix it isn't the safest option. With dedicated tactile controls you can adjust mirrors without taking your eyes off the road, while also verifying that the mirrors are adjusted correctly.

I think the number of people who can say that they have never needed to adjust mirrors while moving, even after having spent a few minutes adjusting them in the driveway, is very much next to zero.

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9. aziaziazi ◴[] No.42152775[source]
Not used to US gears, aren’t they only used when you park? Not sure if that’s the dangerous part of the commute.
10. jpc0 ◴[] No.42154896{4}[source]
13 years driving so far. Only time I've had to adjust mirrors while driving is if I am in a car I haven't driven before and I didn't adjust them before departing.

You are complaining about having to look over at a screen however taking several seconds to look evem further from the front of the car while adjusting a mirror isn't an issue regardless of the controls?

11. aziaziazi ◴[] No.42155380{4}[source]
> you can adjust mirrors without taking your eyes off the road

Now I imagine one eye looking at the road, the other one doing active strabismus to check the mirror, one hand on the wheel and the other using muscle memory to operate the settings on a flat surface.

> The mirror's angle can change, while driving

Maybe a loose screw somewhere in the mirror or a manufacturing defect? It would be surprising QA and legal security standards don’t require mirrors to stay in the position set for a reasonable mileage…