There is zero practical distinction between taking your eyes off the road to see which button you're pushing vs taking your eyes of the road to see which part of the screen you're touching.
There is, in fact, one large difference. With a button you know you’ve pushed it. Once you see where to press your eyes can go back to the road while you actually press the button since the feedback indicating it’s been pressed is tactile.
That’s just a button though. That scenario is magnified with any sort of adjustment slider.
I just got out of a rental with a touchscreen climate controls and it was significantly less safe just adjusting the heat.
Car touchscreens also have tactile feedback - they produce a click and a vibration when a press is registred. This works well. What doesn't work at all is being able to find a button without looking.
Largely, no they don't. Most models I've seen (including, the usual whipping boy Tesla) do not have any haptic feedback on their touch screens. Noises when clicking something is more common, though.
There is, in fact, one large difference. With a button you know you’ve pushed it. Once you see where to press your eyes can go back to the road while you actually press the button since the feedback indicating it’s been pressed is tactile.
That’s just a button though. That scenario is magnified with any sort of adjustment slider.
I just got out of a rental with a touchscreen climate controls and it was significantly less safe just adjusting the heat.