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A relative was in a minor accident. She accepts fault and says she was flipping through the dashboard display to check something and was looking at the screen instead of the road. Do you think certain dashboard features should be disabled when vehicle is not in park or if vehicle is in motion?
A relative was in a minor accident. She accepts fault and says she was flipping through the dashboard display to check something and was looking at the screen instead of the road. Do you think certain dashboard features should be disabled when vehicle is not in park or if vehicle is in motion?
Good question. I see commercials on TV for automobiles with huge display screens for all sorts of things that could easily distract the driver. In fact, I don't see how a driver could use it (when the car is in motion) WITHOUT being distracted.
While these informational or entertainment features may be enjoyable, I think that they pose a serious safety risk if they're used while driving. Many states have laws against the use of a cell phone while driving, yet these big-screen devices would seem to be much more distracting than a cell phone.
Good question. I see commercials on TV for automobiles with huge display screens for all sorts of things that could easily distract the driver. In fact, I don't see how a driver could use it (when the car is in motion) WITHOUT being distracted.
While these informational or entertainment features may be enjoyable, I think that they pose a serious safety risk if they're used while driving. Many states have laws against the use of a cell phone while driving, yet these big-screen devices would seem to be much more distracting than a cell phone.
When in motion there are only certain things the driver must see like speed and fuel/charge remaining. Most drivers don’t look at any other readings (like RPM, Volts, vacuum, boost, and temperature).
I'm distracted all the time. When we go on road trips, we have all kinds of gadgets going on at the same time. For example, we use both the phone GPS (mounted on an HVAC vent) and the car GPS at the same time. We use the phone to show directions and the car to show a large map. I have driven cars across the country for elderly customers as a side gig, some high-end with features like seats that massage you, controlled by navigating the big screen above the center console. I drove Uber and Lyft pre-covid where you have to operate a smartphone continuously. The distractions in cars are endless.
Have I ever got in an accident by being distracted? Yes when I was 16 in 1976, i was playing with the cassette stereo, and when I looked up there was a car coming right at me. I swerved to avoid the car and hit a guard rail.
Since then, somehow I've learned to avoid accidents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM
Do you think certain dashboard features should be disabled when vehicle is not in park or if vehicle is in motion?
Certain features are often disabled when not in park, like entering an address into the car GPS (as it should be).
Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM
When in motion there are only certain things the driver must see like speed and fuel/charge remaining. Most drivers don’t look at any other readings (like RPM, Volts, vacuum, boost, and temperature).
Maybe not readings, but I think most drivers are looking at plenty of other car features. However I think many elderly drivers avoid the features to be safer, and also because they don't know how they work. I had one elderly customer chastise me for not leaving the headlights on automatic when I returned her flagship Lexus. The woman actually accused me of driving her car at night with no headlights. My guess is she came up with that crazy notion after her headlights didn't come on the first time she got caught driving at dusk. She had to take it to the dealer to put the headlights back on automatic for her.
Granted, my car is a few years old and its digital display menu pretty basic, but other than turning on/tuning the radio, there is literally no reason to focus any attention on it while the car is in motion. Other optional controls and modes I might want to change while moving are button/switches on the dash or the steering column. Fine with me. If I really feel the need to scroll through a bunch of screen menus I will do it while the car is parked. The car is outfitted with some sort of map/navigation/tracking system but I've never even turned them on and let the subscription lapse. Navigating around my area is pretty straightforward. Either that or no smaller scale digital information exists.
In my opinion no (as in, zero, zilch, nada, kein) functions accessed by touchscreeen should be active when a motor vehicle is in any state other than transmission in PARK.
Having to remove attention from the road to scroll through menus violates EVERY principle of human factors engineering as applied to a 5000 lb. projectile traveling 60-70 mph. Knobs and sliders with tactile feedback can, after a brief familiarization period, be operated purely by feel, and are therefore the correct mode of operating such functions.
You want my opinion?
Having to remove attention from the road to scroll through menus violates EVERY principle of human factors engineering as applied to a 5000 lb. projectile traveling 60-70 mph. Knobs and sliders with tactile feedback can, after a brief familiarization period, be operated purely by feel, and are therefore the correct mode of operating such functions.
All is an interum process. Later on/future - all will be voice controls. Alexa and OK Google.
All is an interum process. Later on/future - all will be voice controls. Alexa and OK Google.
Hmm, that might create an interesting problem with hands-free cellphones in use while driving...which system are you addressing at this moment? The car's or the phone's?
Based on my experience with voice controls so far, I'd pay a premium to not have it on a new car purchase.
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