I regularly haul pipes, skis, boards, furniture, or other long and awkward objects that would destroy a touchscreen, or at least render it unusable for the journey.
It's very hard to destroy screen with protection, and it's super easy to destroy some tiny manual control e.g. anything related to air conditioning, tesla interior is minimalistic, no even air plastic fins, so if you have that stuff inside, model Y or 3 is the best choice for you :)
"Cracked button" really doesn't seem like a realistic issue. And they really don't fall off easily. You're free to have your preferences but the reality is still that most physical buttons are incomparably more durable than a touchscreen, especially a large one, especially if it still happens to be a consumer grade laptop screen. Simplicity has its benefits.
And if/when the buttons crack/fall-off there's a very good chance that you can fix it there and then with a drop of super-glue.
Try that with fancy touchscreen...
I am sympathetic to your point; glasses can be very durable nowadays.
In this scenario, though, I would be most concerned with scratching the screen. That, And replacing a broken knob is surely cheaper than a gigantic touch screen should it be actually damaged.
That was scary to look at. The worrying part is they all look like new cars, many of them with low mileage. This doesn't look safe for anyone on the road.
Physical buttons are so much more durable.