Electronic features often an annoyance

TO THE EDITOR:

I am not surprised that some consumers do not use the new electronic features in their vehicles (“Consumers aren’t always happy with the latest electronic magic in their vehicles,” June 28). I despise touch screens because they lack any kind of tactile feel. You have to take your eyes off the road to see if what you want to do is what you are, in fact, doing. The time lag for these features only complicates matters.

Most driver-assist features are a complete annoyance when driving on anything other than limited access roads, especially at rush hour. The one that is a real benefit is automatic braking, but even that has its flaws. Unfortunately, many drivers think that they can and should multitask when driving, and driver-assistance features only encourage them to pay even less attention to the task at hand.

CHRIS MOONEY, Pittsburgh The writer is retired from a career in emergency road service.