Study Finds That Buttons in Cars Are Safer and Quicker to Use Than Touchscreens

Good ol' fashioned buttons and switches are no longer used in many cars.

According to the findings of Swedish car magazine, the touchscreens are much less safe and efficient than the old school alternatives.

Test drivers were allowed to get to know the ins and outs of the cars that the magazine tested over the summer. The tests were simple: drivers were told to cruise down an empty airfield at a maximum speed of 68 miles per hour, and were timed on the completion of four other tasks, including adjusting the AC and messing with the radio.

The 2005 Volvo was found by the Swedish magazine to be better than the modern, screen-equipped cars, with a driver completing all four tasks in just 10 seconds.

The best time in a modern car was over a minute. Even though these speeds were relative outliers, they took over 20 seconds for most of the cars they were in.

Screening Calls

The sample size is small but it is thought provoking in its implications.

There's no doubt that the systems are powerful and come with a lot of features. It gets a little ridiculous when the interface isn't efficient to use and the functions they control are not.

The tactility of traditional buttons, knobs, and switches allows drivers to find and adjust them while keeping their eyes on the road. A touch screen does not. A touch screen may need additional navigation to reach a feature, but analog controls are permanently positioned.

Is there a push for simplicity over elegance that has turned our cars into machines? Is there a happy medium?

BMW is selling drivers access to their car's heating systems for $18 per month.