Do you talk to your car or smartphone???

This brings up an interesting topic. I really try not to be a distracted driver but there are times I do use the Prius's speaker/mic to use my phone hands free. Even though it's hands free sometimes I do not feel totally comfortable using it. It's very funny I feel this way because in my 20's and 30's I was a pilot and flight instructor and felt perfectly at ease never felt distracted talking on the radio with a hand held mike even in bad weather and other difficult circumstances. Later in my 40's and 50's I drove a school bus for many years and again never felt distracted using a radio with a hand held mike. Now I can't figure out why I don't feel as comfortable using a hands free phone, it's weird.

 

Yeah, all these things divert your attention, you can't really focus on more than one task at a time. The one saving grace: you can say thanks but no thanks, shut it down.

I have problems even with making HVAC adjustment, with tiny, multi-function buttons that require you take eyes off the road repeatedly. Was looking through a Honda Fit Owner's Manual yesterday:

 

Damn you mean I'm getting OLD? I was hoping it would be more complicated than that LOL

 

Talking while driving may distract some...but it's a hell of a lot better than some idiot trying to drive while poking their hand held glass.

 

I love the hands free bluetooth setup in my '07. It works well, sounds clear and has steering wheel controls for the basic functions of the phone: when I get a call I can push a button on the steering wheel (which I can find by touch, not taking my eyes off the road) to answer and push a button to hang up. If I need to place a call I need to take my eyes off the road or use my peripheral vision to look at the MFD when only a speed dial list is shown when vehicle is in motion. I have arranged said speed dial to work for me and it does very well. So the basic phone features are covered very well in the Gen 2 Prius. However the stereo system and the climate control are not that great. True, some of the most useful features are available at the steering wheel with tactile queues and are very good to have, but certain things are only accessible on the MFD, which is kind of bad. When I hit AC/Auto button on the steering wheel, for example, AC is turned on and the only way to turn it off is via MFD's Climate screen. That's poor design. Most of the time I want to have auto climate control without AC. Likewise, to use climate control in manual mode is only possible via MFD. Granted, this MFD is fairly well designed with large touch sensitive target areas, but it is absolutely necessary to take eyes off the road to control it.

This is the general state of the user interface art these days. Everything is controlled through a menu and dedicated knobs and buttons are gone. This is ok in some cases (although almost always more annoying than hardware controls), but in a car it's almost criminal to require this much cognitive load to change the fan speed in the HVAC system. Tesla is taking the whole thing to a new level, which one of the (very few) things do not like about it. A simple control system with dedicated knobs and buttons is absolutely essential for safe driving. Yet, this is the first thing to go on a so-called "car of the future". I guess once the cars become completely driverless it will be fine, but during the transition it's really bad.

 

This looks really good for HVAC control panel. Three knobs, two buttons and a two position lever. Simple, logical and does not require looking at it once familiar to operate. I like it a lot!

 

Listening alone likely doesn't take the amount of mental processing that being in a conversation does.

I'd say most of that radio use was down to efficient sharing of info, and the person on the other end was aware that you were operating a vehicle.
In my experience when on the phone, the person on the other end forgets that you are driving a car.

 

That may well be correct but it's never been a recognised problem for air traffic controllers in a frenetic visual circuit environment. You need to have a special 360°neck to watch all the aircraft on the ground and in the air, the twinkling fingers of a concert pianist as you juggle the various switches and knobs and all the while you're giving instructions and answering questions on the radio and land lines - often simultaneously using your mouth and ears. Perhaps the profession should be made illegal in the interests of health and safety!

 

That brings back a lot of memories of my friends that were Air Traffic Controllers. They were a Special Bunch LOL!

 

That's very kind, but I wouldn't say I was particularly special. There was never a pause button, so you just planned and reacted. I learned about stress from that!

 

I agree. The one on my Merc C Class is horrible. Temperature-setting is fine, but for the fan direction (legs, torso, mix, demist, etc), there's only one button, right at the bottom of the centre console, way under the radio, which you press repeatedly until you get the direction you want. It's displayed on a tiny (3/4-inch), almost invisible screen next to the button. You actually can't change the fan direction safely without stopping the car. A/C on/off, fresh/recirc, and fan speed are all tiny buttons too. It's probably the worst thing about the car.

 

Listening@11. I assert I can drive attentively while listening to English, but trying to keep up with Spanish interferes. Don't know what that means in terms of brain areas involved.

 

What is this "cold weather" of which you speak?



I put it in Fahrenheit for the Americans and everything.

 

Actually, though....

I heard the new Volvo V90/S90/XC90/XC60 touch screen is activated by breaking light beams that go across the screen (like the HP touchscreen computers from the 1980s) rather than through a capacitive system like all other cars and smartphones.

Apparently it's because it's a Swedish car and they wanted to design a touch screen that works when you wear gloves, because it's so cold in Sweden.

Here, gloves are only for burglars, but I suppose with their impressive luggage space, Volvos are good cars for burglars.

 

Yes. I'm OK on the (hands-free) phone in English, but I don't like driving while speaking and listening in Chinese.

 

Better dumb it down more. Your speed limit is 77? That's fast . . .