When Bad UI Design Kills: China Bans Flush Door Handles
The world of design, especially in architecture and industrial design, often prioritizes novelty over functionality, sometimes at a perilous cost. Frank Gehry's design for the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, intended to treat neurological conditions, infamously caused patients to experience vertigo, nausea, and disorientation.
In industrial design, a neat-looking but difficult-to-use hairdryer is one thing, but in the automotive industry, adding novel features solely for aesthetic appeal can have deadly consequences. I've previously written about two incidents where innovative shifter designs may have contributed to fatalities (here and here).
This week, China has taken a bold step by banning flush, electronically-operated door handles, popularized by Tesla's 2012 Model S and copied by various manufacturers, including Chinese ones. These handles can lose power during accidents or battery failure, posing a significant risk.
While Tesla does provide mechanical overrides inside the vehicle, their placement is unintuitive and concealed, prioritizing aesthetics over function. The burden falls on occupants to learn their locations, which can be challenging in the event of a crash, especially when concussed. For instance, can you execute the three-step sequence for the Model Y's rear seats while disoriented?
Worse still, there's no mechanical override on the vehicle's exterior, meaning that in the event of a crash causing power loss, occupants rendered unconscious cannot open the exterior handles. Bystanders, who might arrive sooner, lack the necessary equipment and training to assist.
China's new law was enacted following a series of high-profile, tragic fatalities involving the Xiaomi SU7. In two separate crashes, the cars caught fire, cutting power to the doors. Neither occupants nor bystanders could open them, resulting in the deaths of a man and three university students before first responders could intervene.
The U.S. has also experienced similar incidents. After a Cybertruck crash in California, three teenagers couldn't locate the hidden manual door releases and burned to death inside the vehicle. In Texas, Angela Chao accidentally backed her Tesla Model X into a pond, confused by the shifter design, and drowned due to the inability to find mechanical overrides. First responders couldn't open the doors or break through the reinforced laminated glass, despite their efforts.
Ironically, Angela Chao was the sister of Elaine Chao, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
China's new law mandates that all car door handles must have a grippable open space of 60mm (2.36") W x 20mm (0.79") H x 25mm (0.98") D and be operable without electric power. Interior manual releases must be visible, labeled with permanent signage, and within 300mm (11.81") of the door edge. Manufacturers have until January 1, 2027, to comply.
