Tesla Model 3 Driver Has License Suspended After Adjusting Wipers via Touchscree
thedrive.com
thedrive.com
The driver’s defense (that the touchscreen is a safety device because it also shows the speedometer) seems hard to fathom. Clearly if the driver was watching YouTube on the touchscreen, the fact that it also shows their speed wouldn’t have been relevant.
It seems more concerning that Tesla’s wiper controls can’t be operated in manual mode w/o visual attention from the driver. I own a Model 3, and I don’t think I could reasonably change the wiper settings w/o looking at the screen, despite knowing where the UI options are and their general layout.
The article says this:
> the Tesla Model 3 is equipped with an analog wiper switch located on the wheel like most vehicles
The wiper switch on the left stalk has 2 behaviors: if you tap the button, the wiper swings a single time. If you hold the button, the wiper and wiper fluid activate for a handful of sweeps.
The analog stalk doesn’t offer any other wiper controls, like the ability to modify wiper speed or enable/disable continuous wiper functionality.
I’m not sure why the article includes that line without clarifying the specific nature of that interface.
This obsession with touchscreens over ones you can control by feel without looking[1] ... it’s ridiculous.
[1] sorry, anyone know the standard term for that?
I'm not sure what the standard term is either. I frequently use the term "tactile controls" to indicate controls that can be operated without looking at them.
For what it's worth, I think essentially ALL controls intended to be used while in motion in a car ought to be "tactile controls" by that definition -- the operator's gaze is NOT available while operating the vehicle.
(I'm OK if configuring bluetooth is done over a touchscreen, but NOT if turning on the radio or the windshield wipers is done that way.)
It makes the controls simpler in a way that makes the parts and assembly cheaper. The Model 3 seems like Tesla tried very hard to streamline (read: cut corners) anywhere they reasonably could as part of lowering the cost to manufacture the car, in order to hit a more reasonable price point. The stalks already have a known history of breakage, many folks have had to have them replaced in relatively young Model 3s. I suspect somebody at Tesla HQ decided that having additional twisting elements or more control surfaces on them would have further increased cost.
Another potential rationale is that, from Tesla’s vantage point, those controls are vestigial. The automatic wiper sensor should handle wiper activation, rendering the stalk controls unnecessary. In practice, that sensor is still in need of further tuning. But if Tesla’s goal is to build the car of the future, it’s possible they’re willing to front-run the software in picking hardware choices.
It is definitely the least safe part of the Model 3 imo. Having the rest of the controls on the screen is not a big deal but adjusting wiper settings can be important for safety and its not very intuitive.
Or is the gear shifter on the right stalk?
The button allows instant actuation of the wipers. There are times when you can get hit with water or mud unexpectedly so it’s nice to have. Any other adjustment can be made at a pre-planned moment with a single tap on the touchscreen, similar to checking blind spots or such.
Note that pressing “mist” also shows the wiper adjustment controls on the bottom-left corner of the screen, so you don’t have to swipe to navigate to them.
It also doesn’t change my desire to have the ability to enable/disable continuous wiper operation via tactile control.
Two possible reasons I can think of, but there may well be more.
1. Cynical take: like all news the article is written with a point of view. Sometimes communicating that point of view is more important to the publication than the facts. In this case I suppose it might better fit their narrative to make the driver seem even less sympathetic and even more of an idiot.
2. More straightforward take: they're simply ignorant and too pushed for time/under delivery pressure, or possibly (though less likely) too lazy, to dig deeper into why the driver might use the touchscreen rather than the switch, not realising that the switch offers no ability to adjust wiper speed.
Either way, to me this makes the story less interesting and less useful. It could, for example, have provided an opportunity to challenge Tesla on one of their less than stellar decisions on interior and driving ergonomics. That's an opportunity missed. (I mean, I suppose we're doing that here, which is no bad thing.)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own and have never driven a Tesla so am unfamiliar with the division of responsibilities between touchscreen and physical switchgear. This makes (2) seem more likely to me but only based on my own experience.
I find this to be an ironic proof of how touch screens are a vastly inferior interface to physical buttons.
Is there a psychological name for this?
No they don't. Nobody ever applauds this. People buy Teslas despite the touchscreen being the only way to do certain things, not because of it.
> Is there a psychological name for this?
"Making things up"?
I believe the official argument is that the controls on the actual steering wheel are programmable, so you don't usually need the touchscreen. But I mean.. Most people don't bother doing this kind of thing... They're lazy... Hell, I'm an emacs user for 30 years, but I've only ever used the default keybindings...
This touch screen obsession is why I won't buy a Model 3 or Y, despite being a potential customer.
I do love many other things about Tesla cars. I think generally, the sum total of things I love about the Model 3 outweighs the things I hate. For example, the automate wiper sensor is good enough that I generally don’t have to interact with the manual control, which mitigates my day-to-day distaste for it.
Regarding the name for people who hold conflicting views, I think “hypocritical” gets you pretty close.
- Ford's early (and I think current) touchscreen interfaces were pretty unintuitive and they were one of the few manufacturers in the US doing touch interfaces.
- Tesla has probably put a lot more into the UX of touch screen interaction (albeit completely ignoring the fact that touchscreens aren't great while driving).
- Now touchscreens are so normalized in new car sales that they're just accepted as a part of a new mid-top trim car, so the question of "should this really have a touchscreen?" is out of most buyers' minds.
There are exceptions to the "more touchscreen" trends with Mazda[1] recently dropping touchscreens in their new cars and Honda[2] following suit with some models. And in the Hondas that still have touchscreens, I believe most/all 2019+ models had at least knobs to operate radio volume and AC while looking at the road.
[1] https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-pur...
[2] https://jalopnik.com/honda-follows-mazda-by-ditching-some-to...
EDIT: getting used to formatting
Watching YouTube (or Netflix or any of the other supported streaming services) on the touchscreen while the car is in motion, is not currently possible in Tesla vehicles. This is by design. Eventually, when fully autonomous driving is supported, watching videos on the touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion might be allowed.
You’re correct that the native video apps are disabled while the car is in motion.
Even the budget no-frills "3", while lacking a lot of things that makes a Tesla a Tesla, has a more traditional wiper control. There's no reason to futz with the touchscreen.
Both modes technically control the wipers, but they definitely do not remove the requirement to use the touch screen for wiper control.
Keep the drivers eyes on the road.
I drive 2014 Skoda Rapid and every single control I really need for operating the car is tactile and operated through muscle memory.
Muscle memory effectively lets me offload my visual and conscious parts of brain.
For example, when driving in rain I just manually activate wipers when I need them, except for heavy rain. I don't move my eyes to operate it, it does not occupy my conscious brain, it just becomes second nature the same way other things become second nature when driving a car. I don't focus on it. I see something interesting I want to see better, I just run wipers without ever thinking about it the same way I don't have to remember to move my right and left leg to walk straight.
I can't imagine having to move my eyes and my hand at the same time to start fiddling with a screen and it just doesn't matter how good the UI is.
I'd bet you don't need to look at the controls to use your turn signals or parking brake. Pretty much every traditional control, including AC and radio, is designed for use by feel only: you jab your hand roughly in the right direction, find the control by feel (perhaps remembering that volume is the right dial, temperature is the left), and adjust it all without looking at it.
If you remember the ordering of the controls - which you automatically will after spending more time using them - you'll be able to blindly use them. The problem with touch screens is that, even if you know the exact location of the control, you still must look at the screen to find the exact location. You can't "walk" your finger over the touch screen and press the second button from the left. You can't use any form of muscle memory.
Sure, you must still look at the AC if you want to set it exactly at 25 degrees, but nobody does that anyway. You usually just want it to be a little bit cooler, so you twist the knob a tick or two counter-clockwise. And grabbing stuff from the glovebox? Personally, I'd consider that highly irresponsible. You simply shouldn't be doing that wile driving. Wait until you're stopped for a traffic light or something.
*As for your actual question, I'm no authority on this topic, but I suspect the precise hand-eye coordination requires much more of your focus. With your vent example, you can probably see it just fine using your peripheral vision, while staying mostly focused on the road. Failing that, you can at least keep that peripheral vision on the road while you focus on the vent. When you're focusing on a screen, you don't see anything else.
Even then, I find on my car I must adjust the windshield wipers to conditions when driving through rain. If the rain gets heavier, then I turn them to a higher setting. This isn't possible with a Tesla? There's a physical control on it, but it seems to only do the fluid spray or a single swipe?
I get the big dash touchscreen yields software benefits through OTA, but a certain level of tactile is needed as long as there's a human driving.
Otherwise you get an incident like this where you can't safely engage the wipers.
Why wouldn't they just turn on automatically when it's raining? My entry-level BMW from 2008 does this, as well as automatically adjust the speed depending on how hard it's raining. The OEM rain sensor part costs $230, and this is not a brand known for undercharging for parts.
That's the thing I dislike the most about Tesla, that everything is run by the touchscreen. They should sell a modular dashboard gauge and button set for those that want real controls and gauges.
Presumably the legally correct way would be to activate the windshield wipers when necessary and to pull over if you want to adjust their speed. Similar to how you're supposed to use GPS.
...is the subtitle. Might have been nice to say in the headline, which is clickbait.
I’m not one but I love all the buttons and knobs in and around my wheel. The 2020 Forester has a freakish number of them. But it lets me do so much without taking my hands off the wheel or eyes far from the dash if at all.
At the beginning I thought the person driving the car sued Tesla because the LCD driver crashed, and Tesla got its license to sell cars in Germany suspended.
1) you’ve committed a traffic violation.
2) you’ve damaged property and caused a casualty even if it’s only one being yourself.
You won’t always end up in court but if the accident was due to a a severe failure on your part (and wasn’t unavoidable) for example drunk driving or using a cell phone it doesn’t matter if you hit a tree or another car as far as the law goes.
This is the key right here. It's the state trying to recoup their costs from you.
If you get a DUI or are negligent and cause injury or accident you’ll end up in court.
If you just roll your own car and get it towed away, I wouldn’t be surprised the cops never find out. Slam into someone’s house and it’s harder to cover up!
An attorney litigated a parking ticket in my city with a series of appeals that went on for like 15 years. IIRC, it was focused on the legality of designating a parking space for "official vehicles" or something like that.
I'm reminded of the early attempts at "smart" homes. After you have stumbled around in the dark a few time you learn to appreciate the simple utility of a mechanical switch.
Wake me up when this becomes actual news and not a single anecdote.
In this particular case the Wipers speed seems to be controlled from the screen, while in other cars speed can be controlled with the side lever without taking your eyes out of the road.
Those small and minor details can make the difference in at least a small percentage of accidents.
It’s like people who have no experience with Tesla vehicles hate the company for whatever reason and are looking for validation of their judgement.