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I'm surprised the article didn't mention one of the key regulations that led to this as an unintended consequence: By law, cars in the US must now have a back-u

I'm surprised the article didn't mention one of the key regulations that led to this as an unintended consequence: By law, cars in the US must now have a back-up camera. That means every car must have a screen. Given that, automakers figured they may as well use the damn thing for everything else too and cut costs. It wasn't just that they wanted to take away tactile controls to save money. It was that they had to make room in there for the screen anyway, so they figured they'd make the most of it.

overgard 4y ago
Eh, those backup cameras are super useful though, and the screen can be small. My 2013 Kia has mostly physical buttons and like an 8 inch or so touchscreen (that I never touch). I would hate losing that camera. Plus those screens can be useful for safety. I much prefer the screen on my dashboard for maps compared to having it on my phone (even with a mount it's bouncy and small)
- bushbaba 4y ago
  But a small screen feels 'cheap' and for many ruins that car's experience.
  - thebiss 4y ago
    Automotive screens sizes are small because they must exceed vibration and temperature tolerances of other devices, which drives up cost. Unlike an iPad, in-car screens need to work from ~0F to ~130F every day, because the back-up camera MUST work. When Tesla introduced giant screens, then ran into problems with panels not being "automotive grade." See: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/27989/teslas-screen-saga-shows-why-automotive-grade-matters https://www.thedrive.com/tech/27989/teslas-screen-saga-shows... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19905299 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19905299
  - anon3242 4y ago
    A large screen with bad UI design would feel cheaper. With physical buttons and knobs, you can have finishes and smooth tactile feedbacks that make them feel luxurious. However with touchscreen UIs it is extremely hard to make it feel polished and high-quality, almost perfectly balancing efficiency and aesthetics, like apple used to do.
  - mike_d 4y ago
    A small screen isn't going to ruin the otherwise luxury experience of a Hyundai or Kia.
morkalork 4y ago
Did back up cameras save that many lives?
- mikestew 4y ago
  It's not always about lives saved. In the scenario that backup cameras help prevent, the vehicle isn't going very fast. And kids are small. That doesn't mean kids don't get seriously injured as a result. I've known three people that have been backed over, myself included (and that's just the ones I know; I don't survey everyone I meet). Minor injuries for two of them, very-much-not-minor injuries to myself that I deal with decades later.
- CGamesPlay 4y ago
  No, but it's still the law. By 2054 (31 years from now), the NHSTA's estimates say it will save less than 2000 lives. https://www.extremetech.com/cars/179635-car-backup-cameras-are-now-mandatory-okay-for-saving-lives-even-better-for-music-and-navigation https://www.extremetech.com/cars/179635-car-backup-cameras-a...
  - donalhunt 4y ago
    What's the serious injuries figure? Road safety initiatives care about preventing deaths AND serious injuries.
  - hackernewds 4y ago
    What about pets? And injuries? Wouldn't imagine a reversal killing most healthy adults, so the fatality rate isn't a great measure
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- ambicapter 4y ago
  I assume somebody's kid got ran over by a parent backing up into them and they then channeled their guilt and grief into lobbying for such a law.
izacus 4y ago
Plenty of automakers put those cameras elsewhere (e.g. Kia integrated it into rear view mirror) so your statement is nonsense.
kccqzy 4y ago
My car has a screen. But it isn't a touch screen. It displays the imagery from the back-up camera when reversing, and displays what's currently playing when not reversing. Everything has tactile controls.
bdavbdav 4y ago
I'm not sure thats it at all - Most brands have had the option of the non-touchscreen screen before this, and most luxury brands have had a non-touchscreen by default before they all started going touch.

overgard 4y ago

Eh, those backup cameras are super useful though, and the screen can be small. My 2013 Kia has mostly physical buttons and like an 8 inch or so touchscreen (that I never touch). I would hate losing that camera. Plus those screens can be useful for safety. I much prefer the screen on my dashboard for maps compared to having it on my phone (even with a mount it's bouncy and small)

bushbaba 4y ago
But a small screen feels 'cheap' and for many ruins that car's experience.
- thebiss 4y ago
  Automotive screens sizes are small because they must exceed vibration and temperature tolerances of other devices, which drives up cost. Unlike an iPad, in-car screens need to work from ~0F to ~130F every day, because the back-up camera MUST work. When Tesla introduced giant screens, then ran into problems with panels not being "automotive grade." See: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/27989/teslas-screen-saga-shows-why-automotive-grade-matters https://www.thedrive.com/tech/27989/teslas-screen-saga-shows... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19905299 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19905299
- anon3242 4y ago
  A large screen with bad UI design would feel cheaper. With physical buttons and knobs, you can have finishes and smooth tactile feedbacks that make them feel luxurious. However with touchscreen UIs it is extremely hard to make it feel polished and high-quality, almost perfectly balancing efficiency and aesthetics, like apple used to do.
- mike_d 4y ago
  A small screen isn't going to ruin the otherwise luxury experience of a Hyundai or Kia.

morkalork 4y ago

Did back up cameras save that many lives?

mikestew 4y ago
It's not always about lives saved. In the scenario that backup cameras help prevent, the vehicle isn't going very fast. And kids are small. That doesn't mean kids don't get seriously injured as a result. I've known three people that have been backed over, myself included (and that's just the ones I know; I don't survey everyone I meet). Minor injuries for two of them, very-much-not-minor injuries to myself that I deal with decades later.
CGamesPlay 4y ago
No, but it's still the law. By 2054 (31 years from now), the NHSTA's estimates say it will save less than 2000 lives. https://www.extremetech.com/cars/179635-car-backup-cameras-are-now-mandatory-okay-for-saving-lives-even-better-for-music-and-navigation https://www.extremetech.com/cars/179635-car-backup-cameras-a...
- donalhunt 4y ago
  What's the serious injuries figure? Road safety initiatives care about preventing deaths AND serious injuries.
- hackernewds 4y ago
  What about pets? And injuries? Wouldn't imagine a reversal killing most healthy adults, so the fatality rate isn't a great measure
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
ambicapter 4y ago
I assume somebody's kid got ran over by a parent backing up into them and they then channeled their guilt and grief into lobbying for such a law.

izacus 4y ago

Plenty of automakers put those cameras elsewhere (e.g. Kia integrated it into rear view mirror) so your statement is nonsense.

kccqzy 4y ago

My car has a screen. But it isn't a touch screen. It displays the imagery from the back-up camera when reversing, and displays what's currently playing when not reversing. Everything has tactile controls.

bdavbdav 4y ago

I'm not sure thats it at all - Most brands have had the option of the non-touchscreen screen before this, and most luxury brands have had a non-touchscreen by default before they all started going touch.