Anyone who owns or drives a modern car knows one thing about trying to control it while also keeping an eye on the road: Touch screens are dangerous. And—finally—a vehicle safety agency agrees.
Consumer backlash against touchscreens in cars gains traction; automakers cave in and return to buttons.
The European New Car Assessment Program, or Euro NCAP, rates cars for safety. From January next year, cars will no longer be able to earn a 5/5 rating unless they use buttons, stalks or dials for essential safety functions. While the new rules are far from perfect, the hope is that they will herald the end of the scourge that is the ubiquitous touchscreen.
“Touchscreens can be dangerous in cars because of their inherent distraction potential. Unlike physical controls like knobs and buttons, which drivers can operate without taking their eyes off the road, touchscreens require visual attention and precise finger interaction. This cognitive and manual distraction increases the risk of accidents, especially during critical driving moments,” Stanley Hawkin, automotive expert at Vehiclechef, told Lifewire via email.
According to the British newspaper The Times, carmakers will have to use physical controls for five essential functions: turning on indicators, sounding the horn, turning on hazard lights, operating windshield wipers and activating an SOS autocall function. Hiding any of these functions behind touchscreen menus won't be banned outright, but if the carmaker wants a perfect rating, it will have to stick to it.
