Why do touchscreen climate controls distract me more than knobs while driving?

[Mila.H]

I just got a new car with a fancy touchscreen, but I find myself constantly looking down at it to adjust the climate controls. It feels less safe than the physical knobs in my old car. Has anyone else found that these modern systems actually make simple tasks more distracting while driving?

[Aubrey27]

I swapped from knobs to a big touchscreen last year and I notice I’m looking down at the climate controls more often. The old knobs gave tactile feedback and I could feel when I was turning it without taking my eyes off the road.

[Steven_H]

In my car the climate screen requires a couple taps and a swipe to get a comfortable temp, and I end up watching the screen longer than I should. It feels slower than twisting a knob, and I’m more distracted.

[AddisonM]

Do you think the real problem is the screen itself or just that we’ve trained ourselves to seek new features and ignore the basics of driving safety?

[Timothy43]

I did a quick thing: I measured glance time after the switch. With physical controls it was near zero looking; with the touchscreen it hovered around two seconds. I started using a voice command to set the temp and saved two presets, which helped a bit.