User interface for controlling safety critical functions of a vehicle

A user interface for controlling a function of a vehicle, the user interface comprising:

• a manual input device configured to generate a user input signal in response to being manually actuated by a user;
• one or more proximity sensors arranged in a vicinity of the manual input device, each respective proximity sensor being configured to generate a proximity sensor signal in response to a presence of a hand in a vicinity of the respective proximity sensor, wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is arranged on a driver's side of the vehicle;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to control the function of the vehicle based on the user input signal and the one or more proximity sensor signals by:
• generating a user identification signal based on the one or more proximity sensor signals, the user identification signal indicating whether the user is a driver of the vehicle,
• starting a time frame in response to the one or more proximity sensor signals indicating that the hand is located on a driver's side of the vehicle,
• during the time frame, generating the user identification signal so as to indicate that the user is the driver of the vehicle, and
• controlling the function of the vehicle based on the user identification signal, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to terminate or block the function of the vehicle in response to the user identification signal indicating that the user is the driver of the vehicle.