Yet recent trends in automotive design would suggest we’re on the verge of a surprising return to physical buttons. A national survey of 1,428 drivers found an even more stellar statistic. In fact, a whopping 89 percent of the survey respondents preferred tactile controls to touchscreens in their vehicles. This shift comes as part of a growing concern over driver distraction and its impact on roadway safety. In 2023, an average of 112 Americans had their lives cut short each day due to roadway incidents.
Well, experts and industry insiders are first recognizing and second reacting to the conditions of growing demand for real buttons. Some optimistically argue that with the increasing integration of artificial intelligence, future car designs won’t be so touchscreen-reliant. As the automotive landscape changes rapidly and new technologies inundate our roads, manufacturers must be compelled to reconsider the importance of technology when it comes to driving.
Survey Results Highlight Driver Preferences
The survey results indicate a clear trend: drivers favor physical buttons for essential controls. The research conducted by What Car? specifically identified five principal controls that drivers want to remain tactile: wipers, lights, indicators, horn, and hazard warning lights.
This apparent preference mirrors guidance by many experts in the field. Jake Nelson stated that “basic functions, such as climate control, audio, and others, should be accessible via buttons.” He pointed out that design changes in the U.S. market are inevitable. These changes will only be made by the force of compelling consumer demand. Statistics show that distraction is responsible for 25 percent of crashes in Europe. For this reason, it’s imperative that manufacturers design with safety as the top priority.
Steven Kyffin, a vehicle design guru, echoed this feeling by stressing the role of tactile feedback. He pointed out that “it is really important that steering, acceleration, braking, gear shifting, lights, wipers, all that stuff which enables you to actually drive the car should be tactile.”
Manufacturers Respond to Consumer Demand
To better meet these commuter preferences, a number of manufacturers have begun undertaking major design overhauls. Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt dropped more promising news that’s coming down the pipeline for other future models. They’ll reintroduce physical buttons for things like volume, seat heaters, fan speed and hazard button. Mindt asserted, “We will never, ever make this mistake anymore … It’s not a phone, it’s a car.”
This shift reflects a broader recognition within the automotive industry of the need to balance modern technology with user-friendly designs. Matthew Avery remarked that “manufacturers are on notice; they’ve got to bring back buttons.” His quote highlights the increasing accountability to automakers to put driver safety and satisfaction front and center.
Edmund King, president of the AA, cited similar concerns over driver distraction. He noted that “when cycling, I often see drivers concentrating on their touchscreens rather than the road ahead.” King further stressed that “technology should be there to help drivers and passengers stay safe on the roads, and that should not be to the detriment of other road users.”
The Role of EuroNCAP and Safety Ratings
As vehicle manufacturers continue to battle with changing consumer preferences, organizations such as EuroNCAP are crucial in driving efforts towards stricter automotive safety standards. EuroNCAP wants to pressure automakers to use physical, simple, intuitive and tactile controls – or risk low safety ratings. This effort is to encourage designs that minimize visual conflict at high speeds.
Harrow is careful to point out that automakers have introduced touchscreen technologies, when appropriate, without understanding driver behavior when it comes to moving vehicles. He noted that “creating and then controlling complexity is a sign of human power.” This complexity frequently results in deadly distractions with tragic outcomes on our nation’s roadways.
A study has shown that using touchscreen interfaces, such as Apple CarPlay by touch, significantly impairs drivers’ reactions to hazards. We found that driver reaction times were almost five times as bad when drivers used touchscreens instead of physical buttons. These findings underscore the dangerous trend of manufacturers prioritizing technology over safety and the urgent need to reconsider how these technologies are being used.
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