Without wanting to open a giant can of worms (no I don't think radios should be taken out of cars), I can't think of any car that has a dash that isn't designed to completely derail the drivers focus from being on the road.. With the growing abundance of features for cars such as gps, ipod compatibility, advanced driver settings for off road or sports vehicles, drivers are constantly being distracted by features that aren't related to the task of driving which are controlled using a series of tiny buttons. Now of course these are luxuries that people opt for, so that isn't really the issue, but rather the fact that the interface is cluttered with ten's of buttons and dials, often unlabeled or labeled with symbols that are unique for each model of car.
But the most problematic flaw in a majority of these interface designs is the direction, which doesn't face the driver but rather the people in the back seat (who, by the way can't reach). Arguably this is because by having the screen flat on the dash it allows both the co- and driver to see it. but that isn't much of a consolation for the when your only excuse for causing a 42 car pile up is "105.1 was playing Bon Jovi....AGAIN".
-Alex B
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