General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Tesla Is Getting Absolutely Destroyed Right Now [View all]orthoclad
(2,910 posts)There is no tactile or kinetic feedback to tell if you hit the right thing - key, gearshift, radio button, whatever. This means you have to have eyes-on for feedback. That means eyes-off the road. Modern cars have too many distractions to be safe to operate. You're surrounded by distracted drivers looking at screens, talking on phones, and texting. I prefer to be looking at the real world around me when I'm operating heavy machinery.
Also, touch screens rely on body capacitance coupled in a predictable way with the screen. They're calibrated for a certain range of skin conditions. If you have calloused fingertips or dry, thick skin, they don't work well. Sometimes I have to use 3,4 stabs to get a touch screen to react. VERY bad design element, despite their "coolness". But they're cheap to manufacture compared with physical controls.
edit: They're ok for non-essential things like radio (tho I still prefer old-fashioned radio buttons, which don't require eyes-on) but for critical features like gear shift? No way.