It's a control you only need when the car is turned on and standing still. The rest of the time it's just taking up space/material/attention. Sounds pretty suitable for a touch screen to me, though I'd probably be mystified for some time stepping into an unfamiliar car that does this.
I can count on more than one hand the times where I had to reverse quickly because my current position was putting myself or others at risk, either because of my fault or because of careless drivers fault.
All in all, it's a control that helps you maneuver a 2 tons vehicle, like your wheel, your gas pedal and your brake pedal.
I personally think this kind of control should never depend on a flimsy touchscreen that can break or bug more easily than a mechanical control (although I agree it's less important that the wheel and pedals).
