Hello John and Kevin,
you are absolutely right about the importance of driver ergonomics and how
much the aviation research means to improve on this important side of active
safety. Sadly, modern avionics are not so perfect (I always speak strictly
from the ophthalmic/visual perception point of view, of course), but
automotive instruments worsened dramatically in the last few years, many of
the so-called 'designers' ignoring the fundamental laws (Warrick etc.)
As this is one of my fields of research, a few years ago I was invited in
Detroit for a congress and this is one of the papers I presented there:
http://www.stefanopasini.it/Oculisti...peedometer.htm
Maybe you would like to browse it and the Power Point presentation that
went with it.
I must say that classic British instruments are among the best in terms of
design, especially in their classic layout of black dial/white numbers and
hands. Bristols are very good, but IMHO the switchgear of my 409 is not so
effective as too many of its switches are out of my main visual field and
often have confusing labeling. The 409's main instruments and controls are
designed according to every good stereotype, though, and thus they are all
easy to use and never cause a potentially dangerous distraction.
Cheers
Stefano