Standardize car controls

Dear Editor:

Since we are in a time of focus on distracted driving, I believe it is a good time to bring up the issue of distractions built into our automobiles. There are two issues here, the first being the lack of consistency in the design of control systems for automobiles of different makes, the second being the built-in distractibility of any single control system.

Many families in Canada have more than one vehicle with which they use to commute and otherwise travel on our highway systems. If the vehicles are made by two different companies, the likelihood of having control systems that are the same or even similar in both vehicles is virtually nil. The operation of the wipers, the headlights, high beams, cruise control and virtually every other function will range from somewhat different to completely ass backwards. It is high time the auto makers, along with the government, if necessary, get on with standardizing controls. It would be a simple fix that would make driving much simpler, safer and at the same time help to reduce the cost of production of vehicles.

Secondly, new tech isn’t always better. My more current vehicle (2012) has touch sensitive controls on the console. There are eight controls in each quadrant of the console, 32 controls, plus a start switch and a few others. The screen above the console also has touch screen controls for things like radio stations selections and climate controls. These are not convenient like button controls where you could actually feel for a certain button and get your station, you must look at the display.

This type of system probably felt great to the engineer who wasn’t driving on a typical road in Canada, but in reality trying to press the correct touch zone can end in disaster if you happen to hit a bump when you are trying to make the adjustment.

Even trying to steady your hand against part of the console will often result in an incorrect selection as there are no raised “safety zones” on the console with which to steady your hand.

I would much rather see the auto industry co-operate among themselves in this matter but it is obvious with years of opportunity to do so that there is no will to make this happen.

It is time the government stepped in and changed this “my way is the best way” attitude and save us from this dangerous practice by the auto industry.

Gary Blidook

Kelowna