It's a PIA, and standardisation of internal layout is sorely needed. If someone driving becomes immobilised (medical event, for example), and you have to jump in and move their vehicle, it should be easy to do - not become a 5 minute exercise in frustration, trying to find out all the control positions, while traffic is banking up.
The worst piece of automotive designing is moving all the controls to a bloody great touch screen in the centre of the dash!! FFS!! LED screens crap themselves on a regular basis.
So, you're driving down the road and the whole screen goes black, and you have to try and stop, indicate, and activate warning flashers! What do you do when the screen is black or blank?
I see where more than one car manufacturer has admitted they "went too far" in putting all the vehicle controls into touchscreens - and they have stated they will return to basic buttons, knobs and levers.
There is action being taken by licencing authorities in other countries around banning touchscreens for the major vehicle controls, and making manufacturers install buttons, switches and levers.
https://www.autonext.co/news/europe-and-china-push-back-against-touchscreen-overload-in-cars-the-return-of-physical-buttons
NEWS QUOTE: "The most notable admissions (to design failures) and rollbacks from major manufacturers include:
Volkswagen: VW design executives publicly admitted their touchscreen-only push was a mistake. They confirmed that physical buttons are returning for the "big five" functions - volume, heating on each side, fans, and hazard lights - as well as on the steering wheel. As Design Head Andreas Midt bluntly put it: "Honestly, it's a car. It's not a phone, it's a car."
Mercedes-Benz: After rolling out massive, dash-spanning displays, Mercedes acknowledged that consumers prefer tactile feedback. The company has been gradually reintroducing physical dials and rollers (such as in their latest GLC and CLA models) after executives admitted they sometimes needed to, "take one step back to take two steps forward."
Porsche & Audi: Both luxury German marques admitted that removing essential controls in favor of touch-sensitive panels and sliders was overly frustrating, and have reintroduced more tactile, clicky buttons.
Hyundai & Genesis: These brands admitted that their previous push for buttonless center stacks was a case of "style overrode safety". They have been reincorporating conventional hardware, as seen in newer models like the updated Tucson, Santa Fe, and Santa Cruz."
https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/why-car-makers-are-ditching-touch-controls-in-favour-of-buttons/
The simple fact that you see so many car drivers driving around at night with headlights off, is indicative that current vehicle controls and dash indications are inadequate, and they need serious levels of modification to ensure that basic controls are visible, immediately identifiable, usable without referring to operating manuals, and have clear indications of what that controls position is in.
In recent times, I went to pick up an item of machinery that I purchased from a Shire Council via a Pickles Auction. After going to the Shire reception, and organising pickup and entry to their yard, I was told a young man would go with me to oversee the pickup.
Said young man rolled up to the yard in his car, we went and found the item - only to find another Shire worker had parked a 5 tonne Hino truck directly in front of my item, at right angles to it.
I said to the young bloke, "You'll have to shift that Hino for me so I can get my item out". He looked a little embarrassed and said, "I don't know how to drive a truck!"
FFS! The Hino was nothing more than a big car! Luckily, having a heavy articulated licence and decades of experience with machines, it was easy enough to find the master switch, turn it on and start and drive the truck forward, so I could extract my purchased item. I often wonder about the future abilities of our nation.