In any case, it is much safer to use buttons when using the car's various functions.
The screens in modern cars are only getting bigger. Car manufacturers' designers and engineers clearly prefer to cram as many buttons as possible in order to gather the functions in one place. Namely in the cars' infotainment. But this is both a bad and dangerous trend, a new Swedish study – conducted by the Swedish car magazine Vi Bilägare – has now confirmed. Physical buttons are both easier and better to operate on the go. READ ALSO: Was called 'social democratic garbage' for canceling a car meet: "I have NOT done that" Yet car manufacturers continue to stuff cars with screens – partly because it is cheaper to gather all the functions rather than spreading them over several buttons in the cabin. But it is a bad idea. At least when it comes to safety. Four simple tasks are difficult with touchscreens This is what Vi Bilägare came to after a test with 11 new cars full of screens asked drivers to perform some simple tasks. At the same time, they tested the car at a highway speed of 110 km/h. In the test, the Swedes also had a 17-year-old Volvo V70 without a touchscreen for comparison. 
The simple tasks included changing the radio channel and adjusting the temperature of the air conditioning. And the results speak for themselves, the Swedes believe. In the study, drivers were given plenty of time to get to know all 11 cars. Still, the results are not impressive. In the 'worst' car with a touchscreen, drivers had to spend nearly 1,400 meters to perform the simple tasks. In comparison, the four tasks were completed in less than 10 seconds and 306 meters in the old Volvo. The worst situation is for the Chinese MG Marvel R. Here, drivers had to spend 44 seconds and 1,372 meters to perform the four tasks. And as Vi Bilägare writes, a lot can happen in traffic during that time. 
