‘Turn it off': The tech Aussies hate most
A new report has found Aussie drivers are increasingly disabling safety systems found in modern cars which are designed to prevent serious crashes.
An analysis by insurance company AAMI Insurance found a surprising one in five drivers admitted to turning these safety features off.
It comes as new claims data, analysing more than 480,000 claims, from AAMI found nose to tail crashes were the most common, with afternoons being the worst time of day.
Drivers are being urged to keep ADAS enabled. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard
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AAMI Motor Prevention Manager Mary Kennedy, says modern safety systems are designed to protect road users and encourages Aussies to embrace new technologies instead of turning them off.
'In-car safety features aren't just gadgets, they're designed to help protect us and make our roads safer,' Mary said.
'Many of the safety features drivers are turning off, like collision warning and automatic emergency braking, are really effective at preventing these types of crashing, along with many others, including reversing into another vehicle or object such as a trolley or bollard.'
Of those Australians who confessed to disabling in-car safety driving features, the overwhelming majority, 69 per cent, cited that they found the systems 'annoying', 'distracting', or 'too sensitive'.
Nissan Pathfinder LDW
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Additionally, 23 per cent of drivers believed they 'don't need' in-car safety features, while 13 per cent expressed concerns that they just 'don't trust' them.
The most commonly dialled-down or turned-off safety features were lane departure warning and lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, parking assist, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision warning (see table below).
This trend is particularly concerning, given that more than half of Australian drivers (59 per cent) agree that safety features improve road safety and reduce the severity and frequency of accidents.
Subaru Infrared Driver Monitoring System detects drowsy drivers and distracted drivers on mobile phones. Picture: Supplied.
Blind Spot Monitor warning in a side mirror
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AAMI's claims data further supports this, showing that ADAS-enabled vehicles are less likely to be involved in an accident when compared to vehicles without this technology.
When news.com.au asked readers earlier this year whether modern cars are becoming too annoying and complicated, 94 per cent of the 10,102 voters agreed.
Arthur, one commenter, said 'Lane keeping is useless on Aussie regional and rural roads. Your try to stay out of potholes and trucks squeezes you and the car jerks you back into the trenches.'
Subaru says its next-generation EyeSight technology will automatically call for help following a crash.
Australia has been slower to adopt driver monitoring systems. Picture: Supplied.
While another user said 'Modern cars are intrusive and annoying.'
Mary Kennedy is strongly urging drivers to keep Advanced Driver Assistance Systems activated in cars that support it and to adapt to the evolving changes in modern cars.
'Drivers should understand and use these safety features to enhance their own awareness, reduce the risk of human error, and avoid getting into an accident in the first place,' Mary said.
'We know through our claims data that Friday continues to be the worst day of the week, and afternoons are the most dangerous time on our roads.'
Originally published as 'Turn it off': The tech Aussies hate most
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