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Are touchscreens in cars dangerous?

(www.economist.com)
238 points Brajeshwar | 5 comments | 20 Sep 25 15:57 UTC | HN request time: 0.199s | source
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jleyank ◴[20 Sep 25 16:03 UTC] No.45314479[source]▶
They're quite difficult to use without looking at them, and I've got better things to look at while driving. Better buttons that don't move and have "presence" than I can feel without looking.
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doug_durham ◴[20 Sep 25 16:39 UTC] No.45314881[source]▶
I have two cars with two different button layouts. I have to look at the physical buttons to use them. It's no different for me than a screen.
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1. Swenrekcah ◴[20 Sep 25 17:00 UTC] No.45315071[source]▶
I won’t argue with your lived experience but this would make you an extreme outlier.

About 20 years ago, every teenager in the world who had a mobile phone was able to select a contact from their phonebook and type an entire message and send, in class with their phone in their pocket.

This is possible because of physical buttons and a deterministic user interface. The same applies to cars and other control interfaces.

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2. doug_durham ◴[20 Sep 25 17:34 UTC] No.45315383[source]▶
As I said I have two cars from two manufacturers. They have wildly different button layouts. Your example is a teen ager with a "single phone". In my case I have to resist the urge to read the tiny text on the physical button to know what I need to do. I avoid spending enough time in my car to learn the physical layout.
3. hamdingers ◴[20 Sep 25 18:45 UTC] No.45316106[source]▶
Simply having two cars they switch between regularly makes them an extreme outlier.
replies(1): >>45323717 #
4. doug_durham ◴[21 Sep 25 15:42 UTC] No.45323717[source]▶
Most American families have more than one car. It is the norm, not an "extreme outlier".
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5. hamdingers ◴[21 Sep 25 15:58 UTC] No.45323857{3}[source]▶
It's important to read all the words in a comment before responding to it. Most families own more than one car, but usually each adult has their own, they don't switch regularly.