[dodgyd]

The vehicle must be type approved in Germany, and likely the Eu. So why wasn't this picked up during that?

Tesla touchscreen wiper controls land driver with fine after crash

A driver using the touchscreen controls for windscreen wipers was distracted, a German court says.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[cah197]

No, he got banned because he crashed the car whilst fiddling with the screen.

This happens all the time in ICE cars, but because this is a Tesla it gets reported.

Hell, someone at Uni crashed their Nissan Micra because they were tuning the radio.

 

[dodgyd]

Ah yes, that’s a more likely interpretation of the story

 

[Phil Himsworth]

I assume there are no statistics as to how many people crash while fiddling with other driving controls that aren't on a touchscreen?

 

[cah197]

Of course he could have just touched the button on the stalk to activate a wipe, until it was safe to change the settings.

In any case it doesn’t look very difficult to get to the wiper settings.

 

[Xinix]

In any case it doesn’t look very difficult to get to the wiper settings.

Thatś completely irrelevant. I have never heard of someone crash because they operated the wiper stalk on the steering wheel, but this looks like a clear case where the (failed) ergonomics of the car induced a user error that lead to a crash.

To be honest, I would love to have a Model 3, but A: I can't afford it (have my eyes set on the e-Niro) and B: I am sure my wife would never be able to operate it correctly because she can't even pinch and zoom and her phone.

The One Screen to Rule Them All approach is fine for a lot of people, but it is undoubtedly more distractful than physical stalks and knobs. In extreme situations, I would also be wary of fiddling with a screen rather than using muscle memory to operate a physical device.

 

[cah197]

As I said, the wipe is on the end of the stalk.

It has auto wipers. Which work fine for me.

Failing that stick the car on AP if you can’t drive and use the screen at the same time.

 

[firetrax]

The wipers can also be controlled by pressing the stalk or voice command. I just set on auto, which works really well now and have not needed to use the screen to adjust their settings.

 

[Xinix]

Apparently the driver didn't know that so the usability issue still stands.

 

[cah197]

Apparently the driver didn't know that so the usability issue still stands.

Clearly he wasn't too hot on driving. Or was just lying to the court to try and get off lightly.

I wonder how he would cope with a Japanese car where the wipers are on the other stalk?

In any case the court made the correct decision in banning him from driving for a while.

 

[Jimbo]

I assume there are no statistics as to how many people crash while fiddling with other driving controls that aren't on a touchscreen?

Just look up "distracted driving", it's all the same thing

 

[Phil Himsworth]

Just look up "distracted driving", it's all the same thing

That would include drivers distracted by anything, which isn't what I'm interested in. If having the wiper interval controls on the touchscreen is the problem, how much of a problem is having the controls on little stalks behind the steering wheel with tiny symbols to say what it is they do?

I could never remember which direction to turn the Zoe dial to adjust the wiper speed; how many people have crashed while peering to find out things like that?

 

[cah197]

I could never remember which direction to turn the Zoe dial to adjust the wiper speed; how many people have crashed while peering to find out things like that?

On the Zoe it’s the audio switches behind the wheel I can’t see unless I get my head behind it.

Very dangerous.

 

[Mofo]

Also worth considering, this is what the driver said... the reality may have been something else distracted him, but he may have thought/hoped saying he was adjusting the wipers might let him off...

 

[cah197]

Also worth considering, this is what the driver said... the reality may have been something else distracted him, but he may have thought/hoped saying he was adjusting the wipers might let him off...

I don’t know why didn’t do what others did and just say Autopilot did it?

 

[ICDP_EV]

There are a two things I take away from this.

If you are fiddling with your touchscreen (regardless of car) then you are not focusing on the road. Having said that every other car I have owned did not have any features that were required to drive safely actually hidden away in your touch screen menu.

I had a look at a video showing how the wipers are operated on a Tesla Model 3, and sorry but it really is made more complicated than it needs to be. If such a fundamental feature is only accessible by touchscreen then that really is a poor ergonomics choice. Yes you can press the button to wipe once, or use the voice control but I think this points out the flaw with Tesla's (and to a lesser extent, other brands) love affair with technology. Tech is not the answer to a problem that never existed, especially when it is actually counter-intuitive.

I feel the same about the pointless touch screen temperature controls on my E-Tron. Though at least they are not a fundamental feature for driving the car safely or reacting to changing weather conditions.

 

[cah197]

There are a two things I take away from this.

If you are fiddling with your touchscreen (regardless of car) then you are not focusing on the road. Having said that every other car I have owned did not have any features that were required to drive safely actually hidden away in your touch screen menu.

I had a look at a video showing how the wipers are operated on a Tesla Model 3, and sorry but it really is made more complicated than it needs to be. If such a fundamental feature is only accessible by touchscreen then that really is a poor ergonomics choice. Yes you can press the button to wipe once, or use the voice control but I think this points out the flaw with Tesla's love affair with technology. Tech is not the answer to a problem that never existed, especially when it is actually counter-intuitive.

I take it you’ve driven a Model 3 and speak from experience?

 

[ICDP_EV]

I take it you’ve driven a Model 3 and speak from experience?

Don't need to, I have seen enough from two videos to see the controls are counter-intuitive.

If you go to a restaurant and get a meal that is clearly under-cooked, are you unable to comment because you've never cooked that particular meal before yourself?

If you go to a movie and don't enjoy it, are you not allowed to comment because you've never made a movie before?

Can you see how silly your post looks now?

 

[cah197]

Don't need to, I have seen enough from two videos to see the controls are counter-intuitive.

If you go to a restaurant and get a meal that is clearly under-cooked, are you unable to comment because you've never cooked that particular meal before yourself?

If you go to a movie and don't enjoy it, are you not allowed to comment because you've never made a movie before?

Can you see how silly your post looks now?

Yeah, I’m a real dumb-ass having actually owned and driven a Tesla since 2014.

I must be doing something wrong as I’m not crashing the car every time it rains.

 

[firetrax]

There are a two things I take away from this.

If you are fiddling with your touchscreen (regardless of car) then you are not focusing on the road. Having said that every other car I have owned did not have any features that were required to drive safely actually hidden away in your touch screen menu.

I had a look at a video showing how the wipers are operated on a Tesla Model 3, and sorry but it really is made more complicated than it needs to be. If such a fundamental feature is only accessible by touchscreen then that really is a poor ergonomics choice. Yes you can press the button to wipe once, or use the voice control but I think this points out the flaw with Tesla's (and to a lesser extent, other brands) love affair with technology. Tech is not the answer to a problem that never existed, especially when it is actually counter-intuitive.

I feel the same about the pointless touch screen temperature controls on my E-Tron. Though at least they are not a fundamental feature for driving the car safely or reacting to changing weather conditions.

Tesla voice commands are working well now and improving all the time. I never need to switch away from auto and just push the stalk if an occasional quick wipe is needed. Very simple