RE: Out of touch: Speed Matters
Discussion
otolith said:
Depends how it's implemented. If you could tell what the control does by touch you could feel your way round the system. Though personally I think voice control is a better solution for features used while driving.
Not sure how that would work? Am I supposed to read braille whilst driving?I agree voice controls are probably the solution, but still need work. I tried it on our Fiesta a few times and its quite effective sometimes, but for selecting music it was a right arse if I couldn't remember the EXACT name of an album, or a song had a weird name. Other times though it was a real struggle to think of the exact wording the system wanted you to use though - still takes a lot of your concentration away from what you should be doing - so I no longer use it.
I'd still prefer it though if car drivers were focusing on driving though.
Thorburn said:
otolith said:
Depends how it's implemented. If you could tell what the control does by touch you could feel your way round the system. Though personally I think voice control is a better solution for features used while driving.
Not sure how that would work? Am I supposed to read braille whilst driving?Thorburn said:
I agree voice controls are probably the solution, but still need work. I tried it on our Fiesta a few times and its quite effective sometimes, but for selecting music it was a right arse if I couldn't remember the EXACT name of an album, or a song had a weird name. Other times though it was a real struggle to think of the exact wording the system wanted you to use though - still takes a lot of your concentration away from what you should be doing - so I no longer use it.
I'd still prefer it though if car drivers were focusing on driving though.
Well, yeah, but you wouldn't be scrolling through lists of songs on a conventional UI while driving either! I'd still prefer it though if car drivers were focusing on driving though.
I use Siri a lot, to play music or to send a text or call handsfree, set a navigation destination. Generally works well for me, if I could also tell it to set the climate control or whatever that would be fine by me. I suspect that the problem is that Siri requires a data connection, and a car system is likely to be limited to the onboard processing capability.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned how bad Bentley 'tech' is. My (admittedly 2010) GT Speed had the worst screen graphics I have ever seen, and the whole system was awful. Connecting to the phone was stupidly convoluted if you could at all.
My 2011 5 series is way better than the Bentley. BMW seem to be the best, our (almost new) Mini is also excellent.
Like many not a fan of touchscreens.
I don't understand what is stopping the screen in your car effectively being a mirror of your phone. Google maps, or Waze are so much better than in car nav systems. Given you can pair for phone and music, surely a small step?
My 2011 5 series is way better than the Bentley. BMW seem to be the best, our (almost new) Mini is also excellent.
Like many not a fan of touchscreens.
I don't understand what is stopping the screen in your car effectively being a mirror of your phone. Google maps, or Waze are so much better than in car nav systems. Given you can pair for phone and music, surely a small step?
Robert-nszl1 said:
I don't understand what is stopping the screen in your car effectively being a mirror of your phone. Google maps, or Waze are so much better than in car nav systems. Given you can pair for phone and music, surely a small step?
With Android Auto and Apple CarPlay they effectively can be. My dads V12 Vantage S has CarPlay as he had it upgraded to AMi III, but he has an Android phone so can't use it. 
Apparently they might be adding Android Auto support to it soon.
Thorburn said:
I agree voice controls are probably the solution, but still need work. I tried it on our Fiesta a few times and its quite effective sometimes, but for selecting music it was a right arse if I couldn't remember the EXACT name of an album, or a song had a weird name. .
I have the same system on my C-Max and if I ask for the album called "The Greatest Hits" I get a weird mash up.I've long since had a gripe with overly complex driver controls... I think this probably started a few years ago when I drove a BMW 5 series with the pie tin i-drive set up and I found myself faffing about trying to set up some element of the air con and suddenly became aware that I'd covered a rather terrifying amount of the city bypass without really looking where I was going.
On a similar vein, but very basic compared to some of the new touch screen tech but my missus has a Mk5 Astra... climate control is three big dials, how hard can that be? Well, they're so low on the centre console that it's hard to see what position is what unless you sort of lean down towards the handbrake... so again such a simple system but flawed by utterly moronic positioning.
What I simply don't get and by the way, I'm not condoning it... but I can be charged for using holding my phone to my ear which I cruise along an empty road at 70mph, looking dead ahead and talking to her about what's for dinner. But, it's absolutely fine that we drive along now, engrossed and indeed at time baffled by the new multi-function menu systems, touch screens and such like and end up getting so involved, probably aren't paying much attention to the queue of stationary traffic ahead.
Sat Nav companies advise us not to adjust the sat nav whilst driving... but now manufacturers are strapping sodding i-pads to the dash boards and we have cars that can access Facebook and bloody dash cams that live update to your social media page whilst reading out text messages to you. p
s off with that, more so the laws is utterly oblivious to the issues... same vein as insurers who penalise you for having fast road compound pads but don't care if you're running four makes of cheap ditchfinders on your 330D prior to hurling it in to the undergrowth on a wet day.
It's getting a bit silly to be honest, the driver's role is to drive the car and concentrate on the task in hand... minimal distractions, strap the kids in, turn off your mobile but let's run through 28 different air conditioning settings via your interactive touch screen bolted tot the dash whilst thundering down the M6. No wonder BRAKE are saying the Highway Code needs to amend thinking distances when it comes to braking... I agree, more so as I sat in traffic last week watching an Audi A5 approach from the rear at speed whilst the driver was clearly staring down at the centre console.
Thankfully the impact never came, can only thank luck and good brakes for that but I suspect both his and my Y fronts were written off.
Rant over!
On a similar vein, but very basic compared to some of the new touch screen tech but my missus has a Mk5 Astra... climate control is three big dials, how hard can that be? Well, they're so low on the centre console that it's hard to see what position is what unless you sort of lean down towards the handbrake... so again such a simple system but flawed by utterly moronic positioning.
What I simply don't get and by the way, I'm not condoning it... but I can be charged for using holding my phone to my ear which I cruise along an empty road at 70mph, looking dead ahead and talking to her about what's for dinner. But, it's absolutely fine that we drive along now, engrossed and indeed at time baffled by the new multi-function menu systems, touch screens and such like and end up getting so involved, probably aren't paying much attention to the queue of stationary traffic ahead.
Sat Nav companies advise us not to adjust the sat nav whilst driving... but now manufacturers are strapping sodding i-pads to the dash boards and we have cars that can access Facebook and bloody dash cams that live update to your social media page whilst reading out text messages to you. p
s off with that, more so the laws is utterly oblivious to the issues... same vein as insurers who penalise you for having fast road compound pads but don't care if you're running four makes of cheap ditchfinders on your 330D prior to hurling it in to the undergrowth on a wet day. It's getting a bit silly to be honest, the driver's role is to drive the car and concentrate on the task in hand... minimal distractions, strap the kids in, turn off your mobile but let's run through 28 different air conditioning settings via your interactive touch screen bolted tot the dash whilst thundering down the M6. No wonder BRAKE are saying the Highway Code needs to amend thinking distances when it comes to braking... I agree, more so as I sat in traffic last week watching an Audi A5 approach from the rear at speed whilst the driver was clearly staring down at the centre console.
Thankfully the impact never came, can only thank luck and good brakes for that but I suspect both his and my Y fronts were written off.
Rant over!
Davie said:
No wonder BRAKE are saying the Highway Code needs to amend thinking distances when it comes to braking
The thinking distance, more accurately the perception-response time*, has always been too short. The values for thinking distance and deceleration that were chosen were those which generated stopping distances in round numbers of feet so that people might have a chance of remembering them.- The time required to perceive a hazard requiring a response, to decide what to do and to start that action, i.e. if you see a child running into the road you will probably brake. Very few people can respond and actually start to brake in fewer than 0.75 seconds. The Highway Code uses 0.68 seconds. Most people will begin to respond in about 1.5 seconds to an obvious emergency. If you are looking at your touch screen for just a second, you will have travelled 13 metres at 30 mph before you look at the road ahead again.
Surely there must be some statistical info on how many buttons are, generally speaking, used on the move? It must be 80% - 90% that are left as is (ie how you've already set it up) whilst on the move? When we're driving, you most often want to adjust volume of radio/cd/stored music (ie mp3 or iphone etc), change track or station or from radio to cd, (I would say 99.9% of the time people have there audio set up, ie treble/base, and leave it that way full stop), the other thing that is probably adjusted the most is aircon/heater setting for clearing the windscreen or general comfort as and when the outside conditions change (which is a lot in this country!!) and of course sat nav.
I would argue that satnav should not be entered on the move, and other stuff that takes too long (in terms of eyes off the road) to be adjusted or whatever while on the move!
I would argue that satnav should not be entered on the move, and other stuff that takes too long (in terms of eyes off the road) to be adjusted or whatever while on the move!
saaby93 said:
E65Ross said:
Though how is that different from years ago....cars with cassette players now have defunct technology....Nothing new there, in that sense, no?
Not defunct - think retro 
Couldnt do that with our previous saab with the sat nav and 6 cd changer in the boot.
might be retro. but very useful.
CanAm said:
Jex said:
Stuff
If you are looking at your touch screen for just a seconhttps://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/4.gifd, you will have travelled 13 metres at 30 mph before you look at the road ahead again.
Approximately 13.4112 metres but exactly 44 feet. But lets not fall out over 41.12cm If you are looking at your touch screen for just a seconhttps://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/4.gifd, you will have travelled 13 metres at 30 mph before you look at the road ahead again.
Jex said:
Since a car will probably not be travelling at exactly 30 mph and a driver would not look away for exactly 1 second, I didn't think giving a figure to 4 decimal places was appropriate really.
Good Sir, this is the internet. All pissy arguments must be backed up by citing figures to AT LEAST 5 decimal places, even when they are round numbers. Please see rule 348.00000 in your internet manual. Thorburn said:
Jex said:
Since a car will probably not be travelling at exactly 30 mph and a driver would not look away for exactly 1 second, I didn't think giving a figure to 4 decimal places was appropriate really.
Good Sir, this is the internet. All pissy arguments must be backed up by citing figures to AT LEAST 5 decimal places, even when they are round numbers. Please see rule 348.00000 in your internet manual. 
My son and I went to look at the new Civic Type R yesterday. I am 50, he's 22 and has been raised a "proper petrolhead". Whilst is stood back and looked at the aero design, Brembo brakes, engine bay, recaro seats.....you get the picture, he settled in to the drivers seat and checked out the "infotainment", sat nav system and phone charging facilities. I fear all this technology is more attractive to the younger generation. Personally I couldn't give a damn about a touch screen. Simple, stylish logical design, like a Volvo. Oh god, just realised I am sounding old.
Sion111R said:
My son and I went to look at the new Civic Type R yesterday. I am 50, he's 22 and has been raised a "proper petrolhead". Whilst is stood back and looked at the aero design, Brembo brakes, engine bay, recaro seats.....you get the picture, he settled in to the drivers seat and checked out the "infotainment", sat nav system and phone charging facilities. I fear all this technology is more attractive to the younger generation. Personally I couldn't give a damn about a touch screen. Simple, stylish logical design, like a Volvo. Oh god, just realised I am sounding old.
I don't think we're being 'old'. Touch screens are just a st solution to a problem no one had.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff