Reading the comments here remind me of the days when the iPhone was first released to the masses and everyone was like 'oh no i want my physical keyboard it feels good'.
Good times looking back.
Any button not on the steering wheel will require you to look away from the road, even for a split second. In that split second something can jump out in front of you. You can blame the touch screen or other things, shoot maybe even if you were looking straight ahead your mind might have drifted (as is the case with long distance, boring driving after hours without a break). No amount of UI will fix that.
Best we can hope for is better tech in the car for obstacle detection and avoidance.
As multiple people here have pointed out, they can operate the button interfaces on their cars by touch alone. My car only has knobs and buttons and I can operate the heating, radio, cabin lighting and hazards just by knowing what the control feels like.
Good times looking back.
Any button not on the steering wheel will require you to look away from the road, even for a split second. In that split second something can jump out in front of you. You can blame the touch screen or other things, shoot maybe even if you were looking straight ahead your mind might have drifted (as is the case with long distance, boring driving after hours without a break). No amount of UI will fix that.
Best we can hope for is better tech in the car for obstacle detection and avoidance.