The history of the automotive industry began back in 1768. Those cars were steam powered. They had the simplest controls. The car was harder to prepare for and ride than to drive. Since the time of the first mass-produced car (Ford Model T, manufactured from 1908 to 1927), the controls and controls have undergone tremendous changes. All of them became more friendly towards people.
Engineers tried to make the work with the car’s controls as inconspicuous for the driver as before he had to be distracted by a huge number of additional actions. Even to turn the steering wheel, much more effort was needed than now.
At the same time, all these innovations made the car much more complicated technically. There were electronic starters instead of hand-held ones, hydraulic and electric power steering, brake booster and a huge number of devices without which a modern person cannot imagine a car. Who will get out of the car to start the engine? And can a person imagine a car without an air supply system to the passenger compartment?
This system has been upgraded more than once. First, air heating appeared, then air filters began to be installed, air conditioners appeared, they were replaced by systems with an air conditioning system, which itself achieves the selected temperature, after which such systems began to be made into two-, three- and even four-zone ones. Recently, premium cars have begun to be equipped with devices for air ionization and aromatization. And this is just the simplest air supply system in the cabin. Some controls appeared generally quite recently. Navigation, voice control - all this can be listed endlessly.
Controls in cars
In the cabin of any modern car, a huge number of different buttons. It doesn’t matter if they are sensory, mechanical or even simply painted on the Tesla’s huge display; even an experienced driver in a new car can understand it right away. All controls can be divided into three groups:
- basic;
- auxiliary;
- controls for comfort functions.
The first group includes the steering wheel, pedals, gear lever. The second group includes equally important car controls, but without which the driver can theoretically move around the car. All of them directly affect road safety. Subsidiary bodies: control of light and wipers, security systems (anti-lock braking system, electronic system of dynamic stabilization of the car, traction control system and others), mirror adjustment.
The third category includes all other organs, namely: multimedia control, control of the interior air supply system, seat adjustment, power windows and much more. The location of the car controls should be ergonomic, that is, convenient for use. That is why often in cars the same elements are located in the same places: the gearbox is installed between the front seats, the windows on the door map, the radio control in the center of the dashboard. But there are exceptions. This article will help you quickly and easily find the car controls in any car and use them correctly.
Steering system
Without knowledge of the rules for controlling these elements, the driver will not even budge, except that the seat can move. The steering wheel is always right in front of the driver. First you need to adjust it in accordance with the picture below. This can be done using the lever located on the left of the steering column. There will also be buttons if the position of the steering wheel is changed by an electric drive.
Adjustment can be carried out both on a slope and on a departure. The steering wheel should always be held with both hands so that it is not knocked out on a pit or bumps. Avoid the situation when the driver’s arms are crossed during rotation of the steering wheel, you must immediately grab it with one hand. If you need to turn right - you also need to turn the steering wheel to the right, and it doesn’t matter if the car goes forward or backward. In all modern cars, additional steering controls are placed on the steering wheel: cruise control, multimedia control and so on.
Motor and brake control
The pedals in the car can be two or three. If the car has a manual gearbox, then the pedals will be three, automatic - two. The right pedal is always gas. Click on it should be smooth. To her left is the brake pedal. These two pedals need to be pressed only with the right foot, only auto racing will be an exception.
Therefore, you must not press the gas and the brake simultaneously. The third pedal, the leftmost - the clutch, is pressed to change gears. Squeeze it should be quick, release smoothly. The manual transmission control lever is always located to the right of the driver (between the seats or on the dashboard). The gearshift circuit is located directly on the lever. To turn on the reverse speed, you often need to either press the button on the lever, or the lever itself.
Auto controls with automatic gearbox
The control of a car with an automatic transmission differs only in that there is no clutch pedal, and the gears shift themselves. The box selector may look like a lever, a button (a set of buttons) or a washer. It is usually located to the right of the driver. On American cars and Mercedes cars, you can often see the automatic transmission lever behind the wheel.
Light and wipers
Management of light and wipers seems very simple at first glance, but there are a lot of subtleties and details. The light control lever is always on the left hand drive. If you pull the lever down - the left turn signal turns on, up - the right one. Almost all modern cars, with the exception of Toyota, have a one-touch turn signal. The same lever is responsible for the inclusion of low and high beam headlights, DRL, fog and so on.
The wiper control lever is usually mounted to the right behind the wheel if the automatic gear selector has not taken its place. On it you can adjust the speed of the wipers, apply the washing fluid. It is worth noting that on many modern cars there are rain and light sensors, therefore, putting the levers in the "Auto" position, the driver will only have to turn on the turn signals.
Truck Controls
Today, truck controls are almost no different from those in passenger cars. Wagons may have additional controls, such as a hitch. For understanding, below is a picture of the location of the MAN vehicle controls.
Conclusion
Engineers and designers put a lot of effort into making the operation of the machine not only simple, but also enjoyable. Once you understand the principle of managing a car’s systems, the driver will be much easier to transfer from one car to another. In addition, it will make life a little easier. Good luck on the road!