I would support legislation which disables the touch screen when the passenger seat is unoccupied and the vehicle is in motion.

But I admit I’m being selfish: I don’t drive but share the road with people who do.

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everdrive 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

We just have zero reasons to have touch screens in cars. They need to be removed, not restricted.

	▲	JumpCrisscross 5 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> We just have zero reasons to have touch screens in cars A good sign you’re missing something is when you see zero reason for another’s effort. Touch screens are a cheap, adaptable UI. They simplify supply chains and allow for a richer variety of context-dependent controls. The map on a properly designed touch screen absolutely renders less useful a phone for navigation, which in turn removes a host of potential distractions from the game. Touch screens should be an option for car designers and buyers. But they should be done safely.
	▲	anonymars 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Might I recommend you the Lexus touchpad? Yes, touchpad. Like on your laptop.

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LorenPechtel 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yeah, the passenger seat is a problem. I've been very annoyed with my phone before for locking out when my car is in motion--even when I'm not the one handling the phone.

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Broken_Hippo 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I'm pretty sure no phone does this on its own - if it did, people on public transport would have complaints.

It is probably a setting on your phone (driving mode, perhaps) or a setting when you pair it with your car.

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not_doctorq 5 hours ago | parent [-]

For what it’s worth, my phone (iPhone SE 3) DOES do the lock up when I’m on the public bus, requiring me to tap “I’m not driving.”

	▲	yial 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		You literally can turn this off in the settings. You have it set to enable driving mode automatically.

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dzhiurgis 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I had that on for 1 or 2 years and given up. Thanks for reminding me, it's a nightmare that makes using your phone less safe.

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what 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What phone doesn’t let you operate it while in a moving car? I’ve never heard of this.

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ghostpepper 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Modern mazdas are one example - the touchscreen locks out above 5 miles per hour.

This is only feasible because the physical controls are excellent, and you can basically accomplish anything except typing an address or a song name without the touchscreen as input.

	▲	decafninja 5 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		The newest CX-5, their best selling car, abandons the knob, if that’s what you’re referring to. Supposedly most buyers in fact, did not like the knob. This seems to follow other manufacturers that formerly had knob based controls but similarly abandoned them.
	▲	gedy 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I have a new Mazda with CarPlay, you can touch the phone at any time? Or are you referring to the "extra" touchscreen on some models in addition to the control knob.

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to11mtm 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Not necessarily a 'phone' but an 'app'; Here WeGo often won't let you pick a route for a destination you looked up if you're moving... I say 'often' because it seems to have a mood where sometimes it works but other times it literally shows a sort of 'cannot do this while vehicle is in motion' blocker...

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phinnaeus 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

iOS has had this feature for several versions now, I think it predates focus modes even. But today it lives under that umbrella as the Driving focus, which can activate automatically based on certain kinds of detected motion.

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mjevans 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I would not.

I would support legislation that forced a recall of all defective cars (ones that required touchscreens to do basic car things).

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hbrav 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Mazdas do lock the screen when in motion.

Actions can be accomplished using a 'big knob' button that can be turned or pressed. The driver can still distract themselves, but I believe it's to a lesser extent that the touch screen.

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moogly 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In the MY2026 CX-5 (announced in July), the control knob went the same way as BMW's iDrive jog control: it's gone.

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para_parolu 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Personal anecdote: I have mazda and tesla and drive both regularly. I’ve got many more times distracted with mazda knob trying to turn on album than doing the same in tesla. I used to think knob is safer until I started to see difference every day.

	▲	decafninja 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Also, IIRC the latest version of their best selling car - the CX-5, abandons the knob for pure touchscreen. Supposedly the story is that outside of a small but vocal contingent on the Internet, most buyers did not like the knob.

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zzo38computer 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I do not like touch screens, in general. I do not drive a car, but as a passenger I have found some functions (but not all functions) locked while the car is moving, even though it could sometimes be helpful for the passenger to operate it (or read it out loud) for the driver so that the driver does not have to (although this is only because the driver wanted me to do it; I otherwise have no use for them). However, physical controls would be better.

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bo1024 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

One not-so-fun place this could go is mandatory voice recognition commands, leading to everything said in the car being recorded and stored by the manufacturers.

	▲	Silhouette 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Voice recognition might be the only UI worse for safety and usability than a touchscreen for normal driving operations. Not that you're wrong about the privacy angle either.

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mook 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I would support that, as long as it specified all new cars (not existing ones).

I drive a car with a touchscreen. Obviously, I'm not touching it in motion otherwise my position would be dumb… sometimes it does dumb things and I'll just have to ignore it for the drive or find a parking space to stop and deal with it.