Steering wheel control buttons

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

I recently posted comments to another BB like this one on the topic of 
steering wheel control buttons. The response was interesting. I wonder what 
this group thinks about the proliferation of buttons on our modern steering 
wheels.

The traditional location for the horn button in North America is the 
steering wheel boss or hub. Some cars added rings to permit operation of 
the horn without actually removing one hand from the wheel. Most European 
cars moved to horn buttons located under the thumb or finger, usually on 
the spokes of the steering wheel and occasionally on the end of a control 
stalk.

Ford "pioneered" the use of cruise control and stereo controls with buttons 
located on the edge of the hub pad inside the 8 and 4 locations of the 
wheel, convenient to thumb or finger.

Newer cars seem to have gone further and returned the horn button to the 
center pad while using the former horn button locations on the steering 
wheel spokes for such mundane duties as the stereo or cruise controls.

Considering that one cannot drive Italian style with the horn button 
inaccessible to the hand holding the wheel (the other hand needs to be free 
for gesticulation) what do Alfa lovers think about this "evolution" in horn 
button ergonomics?

For my part, if the horn is inaccessible to at least one of my hands 
holding the wheel, I won't buy that car.

Cheers


Michael Smith
White 1991 164L
Original owner
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided