Euro NCAP, a well-known organization for its expertise in automotive safety, has declared that starting in 2026, their ratings will negatively impact models that offer touch-sensitive controls for crucial functions like turn signals, windshield wipers, and hazard warning lights. The intention is for car manufacturers to prioritize physical buttons over touch controls, which are considered more distracting and therefore more hazardous.
The excessive use of haptic buttons on steering wheels and touchscreens in car interiors can create safety issues. Nowadays, many carmakers have shifted essential controls to central touchscreens, requiring drivers to divert their attention from the road, thus elevating the risk of distraction-related accidents.
When it comes to touch-sensitive buttons on steering wheels, they are often not ergonomically friendly and can be hazardous if they result in the driver losing focus.
Even though Euro NCAP does not possess real authority, its goal is to motivate manufacturers to maintain separate physical controls for all fundamental functions. Although Tesla is an obvious target, most carmakers are feeling the pressure.
While touch controls can be potentially risky, they can also be slower. An experiment carried out by Swedish journalists in 2022 revealed that cars with touch screens are slower at performing various tasks compared to older models equipped solely with manual buttons and switches.
In recent years, the human-machine interface in vehicles has undergone significant changes, not always for the better. Substantial feedback from dealerships and specialized online forums is leading some executives to think twice about completely abandoning traditional push-buttons, like Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer. This “retrograde step” and the announcements from Euro NCAP underscore the fact that progress does not always equate to enhanced performance. – AFP Relaxnews
