Euro NCAP wird eine neue Bewertung für die Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstelle einführen (HMI) in seinem Fahrzeugsicherheitsbewertungssystem mit Wirkung ab 2026. This assessment will evaluate the placement, clarity, and ease of use of essential controls—including the availability of physical buttons for commonly used functions. Consumer feedback suggests that such buttons can help reduce driver distraction.
In today’s automotive market, we are seeing more and larger screens in vehicles. An increasing number of in-car functions are now operated through touchscreens, and the widespread adoption of touch controls comes with undeniable advantages. Erste, they eliminate the need to consider button molding and control wiring, as well as the integration of buttons into interior design, which helps shorten the design cycle for new models. Second, highly integrated large screens better align with consumers’ vision of futuristic and technologically advanced cars, making them more appealing and driving automakers to invest in this direction.
jedoch, if all car functions are shifted to touch controls, drivers will be unable to operate them by feel, inevitably leading to distraction during driving and increasing the risk of accidents. According to data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 80% of collisions and 65% of near-collisions are related to driver distraction. Zusätzlich, some manufacturers have overcomplicated touchscreen designs, turning originally simple operations into cumbersome processes. Zum Beispiel, adjusting the air conditioning temperature, which could be done with a physical knob, now requires navigating through multiple menus in some models.
Physical buttons offer unparalleled advantages in terms of simplicity and speed of operation. Functions critical to driving and passenger safety, such as defogging, hazard lights, and e-call, require the reliability of physical buttons. The tactile feedback and resistance of knobs and buttons provide a more authentic and reassuring experience than any touch interaction. At speeds of 60 km/h or higher, every moment of distraction could lead to irreversible consequences. Technological progress should not come at the cost of such a high level of driver attention.
The fundamental purpose of automotive evolution is to ensure passengers reach their destinations safely and comfortably, and all designs should be guided by this principle. The future car cockpit should intelligently allocate interaction methods based on scenarios. Frequently used, safety-critical functions should be assigned to physical buttons, while infrequently used or setup functions can be handled via the touchscreen. It is foreseeable that this “touchscreen-first, physical buttons as supplement” approach will become a prevailing trend in the future.
