Power windows are a nice feature and on almost every new car you can buy these days, even on the cheaper models. There’s a safe way and an unsafe way to control them, though.
Rocker switches, as well as similar toggle switches, pose a bit of a safety hazard. It’s easy to accidentally cause the window to start going up, possibly causing part of you or someone else to get caught in the window when it goes up. Whenever I get into a car with this kind of switch I immediately notice them and think about their danger.
Thankfully, the NHTSA banned rocker switches in 2006, requiring all new vehicles to use the safer design. Lever switches are almost impossible to activate unintentionally, and have been involved in very few injuries. Even with this design, as the driver be careful when operating windows other than your own if you have passengers in the car, so you don’t catch them in the window.
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-Dan
Mechanical Malarkey 