Touch Screens Unsafe? Navy Says Yes

[Skippy722]

Touch screens for non-critical things is fine, like the actual radio interface. But don't put my HVAC controls on there. FCA seems to do it right... you have the option for HVAC in the radio or physical buttons and knobs. I just wish the heated seats had a physical button.

 

[Andrew1972]

VW does an amazing job with touch screen and switch controls for major functions.

I have a volume knob and controls all over steering control for radio, cd, and some of Apple play. Also have normal climate control.

 

[PimTac]

I can definitely see how having climate control and radio and such on the touchscreen can add to distraction.

Fortunately the Mazda has regular dials and buttons for climate control. The radio can be controlled with hot keys and a commander knob in the center console. Voice control is also available for some settings.

 

[RayCJ]

The last time I was shopping for a car, I managed to get a close look at a couple Teslas. Upon seeing what looked like a massive Apple IPod stuck to the dash, coupled with the fact that a cell phone (and Apple or Android "App") is basically a fundamental necessity to operate the vehicle, I ditched the idea of owning a Tesla in a hot second. I had to drive 3 hours to check one out in person and within 15 minutes, I was back in my car driving home. Right, wrong or otherwise, that was my reaction to knowing my connection to the vehicle was through a tablet computer and a "cell phone app".

I'm all for EVs and Hybrids... The world needs them. Operating them through notebooks and cell phone "Apps"... When pigs fly!


Ray

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by madRiver
VW does an amazing job with touch screen and switch controls for major functions.

I have a volume knob and controls all over steering control for radio, cd, and some of Apple play. Also have normal climate control.



Mine do too (not VW) - many knobs are duplicate on touch screen where the passenger (who has no steering wheel) can make changes. The touch screen for navigation will not let you do certain things while moving - but I can talk to the lady behind the steering wheel and tell her where I want to go or listen to etc - and if all that fails, still have OnStar ,,,

Behind the screen is where we keep a .38 for control in other situations

 

[AC1DD]

Originally Posted by Greggy_D
Give me my buttons and switches back. I can't stand touch screens in cars. It's impossible to change anything without taking your eyes off the road. With mechanical buttons and knobs, you can change any setting by feel and watch the road the entire time.


Here, here! I agree, those touch screens are distracting, awkward, and cumbersome.

Bottom line is that human beings are analog creatures which need analog interfaces to be most effective.

 

[bunnspecial]

Not too long ago, when my MKZ was at the dealer for the airbag recall, I borrowed my dad's '15 Lincoln MKS for a week.

Essentially everything there is run off of a touch screen, with a couple of additional capacitive panels for things like the temperature and radio volume. The big center touch screens takes care of the radio controls, climate control, navigation, BT cell phone interface, and a couple of other things that you don't need to access terribly often. Both temperature and volume are things that I DO actually often want to change while driving, and I appreciate having a physical setting to do it. Consequently, I essentially never touched the touchscreen(only when I was completely stopped-i.e. driveway or parking lot) and managed to get most everything I needed to done while I was driving through a combination of steering wheel buttons(which are reasonably comprehensive) and voice commands. As a side note, I think the voice interface is CAPABLE of a lot more than my '10 MKZ, but at the same time I found a lot of it to be less intuitive and frequently found it to stumble when I gave it specific commands.

Someone earlier in this thread commented on Dodge/FCA doing a good job with it. Far be it from me to actually admit to FCA doing something right

, but my girlfriend has an '18 Jeep Compass and I've actually found the controls on it to be quite god. Climate control is all handled by big knobs, and it has smaller but still obvious/accesible knobs for the volume and radio tuning. There are also a few other buttons around the edge of the screen to handle several other functions. The touch screen mostly is used for things like digging deeper into the radio(i.e. setting pre-sets) or controlling your BT cell phone. The one thing I will say is that many of the steering wheel controls are not overly well labeled or intuitive, and since I don't drive it overly often I often find myself having trouble with those. As an example, the volume up/down and the switches between radio presets are on the backside of the wheel in such a way that you'd think they were paddle shifters.

 

[Andrew1972]

No one in Navy top down involved can just look in the mirror and see who is involved so blaming something else.

 

[PimTac]

I agree. The Navy, I hope is reviewing its training and also its promotion standards. These were two areas that drew a lot of flack after those two accidents in Asia. Officers being promoted too quickly and a lack of training all around. The touchscreen are a deflection away from the real issues.

Go back to basics. Rules of The Road and common sense. Putting yourself in situations you shouldn't be in is a sure recipe for disaster.

 

[LoneRanger]

I can see the problem in a maritime or naval application. However, both our vehicles have 8" touchscreens and I like them.. 8" is definitely big enough, don't want anything larger.

 

[wag123]

The problem with touch screens is that you have to LOOK at the screen to see what it is that you are touching BEFORE you touch it. With manual controls/switches you can learn their locations and positions so that they can then be operated by feel without having to look at them.

 

[Ws6]

My Mazda already has, and I love it. Far better than touch-screen in my experience. Much less distracting, and easier to navigate/use on less than glass-smooth roads.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by Kestas
I personally haven't seen any touch screens in cars, but I think I would hate them. How could you possibly use one aiming your finger at a spot on the screen driving down a bumpy road?... which is essentially a lot of roads in Michigan.

I never liked the linear controls on the radio in an old Chrysler I once had. I could never properly use them on a bumpy road as I could with rotary controls.


It's a total pain in the ****, which is why I much prefer how my CX5 is vs. the UConnect and Nissan's NAV that I also have used.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by Greggy_D
Give me my buttons and switches back. I can't stand touch screens in cars. It's impossible to change anything without taking your eyes off the road. With mechanical buttons and knobs, you can change any setting by feel and watch the road the entire time.

Originally Posted by wag123
The problem with touch screens is that you have to LOOK at the screen to see what it is that you are touching BEFORE you touch it. With manual controls/switches you can learn their locations and positions so that they can then be operated by feel without having to look at them.


No you don't; because you can't doesn't mean others can't. I automatically know where my hand/arm has to go without looking at the touchscreen, just like analog buttons, just like typing.

 

[PimTac]

Another point; the Navy issue is not the same as driving a car and trying to work a touchscreen. The helmsman will be concentrating on the direction and steering of the ship. The helmsman gets their orders directly from the bridge officer and they have to acknowledge each order and then verify back to the bridge officer that the order has been accomplished.

Unless things have really changed in the years since I was in the helmsman does not have the responsibility of steering to avoid obstacles. If the bridge officer gives a course that puts the ship in harms way the helmsman has to obey. There may be feedback though to verify the order from the helm or the person on plot.

One thing I did notice from pictures is that the helmsman is standing at the station. That is different from my experience in which we had a chair and a seat belt. Standing would be very difficult if not impossible during rough seas and that would also make touchscreen actions harder to accomplish.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by wag123
The problem with touch screens is that you have to LOOK at the screen to see what it is that you are touching BEFORE you touch it.

And what's even worse, some implementations (looking at you, GM) will not even show you buttons on the screen until you bring your hand close to the screen.

 

[Alfred_B]

I thought USS John S McCain was a hot mess as far as leadership went which caused the collision. I guess they are blaming touch screens instead.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by Pew
No you don't; because you can't doesn't mean others can't. I automatically know where my hand/arm has to go without looking at the touchscreen, just like analog buttons, just like typing.
You must be related to Nostradamus. What vehicle do you own where you can operate the touch screen without looking at it? What if you are in the wrong screen?

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by Pew
No you don't; because you can't doesn't mean others can't. I automatically know where my hand/arm has to go without looking at the touchscreen, just like analog buttons, just like typing.
You must be related to Nostradamus. What vehicle do you own where you can operate the touch screen without looking at it? What if you are in the wrong screen?

Mine. I glance at it maybe, sometimes, but it's perfectly usable with voice command or the command knob feature that your right hand almost falls directly to just forward the arm rest.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by wag123
You must be related to Nostradamus. What vehicle do you own where you can operate the touch screen without looking at it? What if you are in the wrong screen?

I'm nobody special. It takes some time getting used too versus analog dial buttons but my body automatically knows where to move itself. If I am in the wrong screen then it's no different than having to look at buttons to change the screen or glancing down to look at the speedo but I normally don't have that issue since my screen is 99% on one. I've pretty much memorized where all the touch screen buttons are, the swipes needed, etc.