Work has just begun on a landmark study to understand why Australian drivers are deactivating potentially life saving technology in their cars.
Up to 60 per of drivers admit they are turning off the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, which span from blind-spot warnings to full emergency braking, for a variety of reasons.
This is a sharp contrast to some other countries, which have reported a 30 per cent reduction in crashes thanks to the widespread introduction of ADAS in new cars.
Now IAG, the country’s biggest general insurance company, has partnered with QUT and the iMOVE Co‑operative Research Centre for real-world testing.
It has taken 60 drivers of all ages and backgrounds and put them through a series of ADAS driving activities in the safety of the Mount Cotton facility owned by the RACQ.
The youngest was 20 and the oldest was 78.
They were driving three different styles of vehicle, the Ford Everest large SUV, the compact Chinese-made BYD Atto3 and luxury Mercedes-Benz GLC.
“We want to understand why they are disconnecting it. They provide explanations of what they are thinking, what they are feeling, and their reaction.”
As well as charting their reactions to a series of manoeuvres in controlled conditions, they were asked about their knowledge of ADAS and also given comprehensive briefings of the various systems.
“ADAS is becoming standard in every new car in Australia. It seems to be reducing collision rates international. But we’re not seeing that in Australia,” the head of the IAG Research Centre, Shawn Ticehurst, told Starts@60.
“We did some research with 2000 people in Australia to understand their perception of ADAS. Sixty per cent of people said they were actively turning it off.
“But seven per cent said they wanted more eduction. So that gives us hope. That’s where we see education having a role.”
According to Ticehurst, the week-long assessment program in Queensland is the next step in the ADAS story at IAG.
“The smarter cars get, the smarter the driver needs to be. So how do we uplift people?
“Driving is a skill. And people often don’t understand that. It’s your primary focus when you’re behind the wheel.”
The vested interest for IAG is a reduction in car insurance claims, but Ticehurst also said his company has a special responsibility.
“We want to save lives. It’s part of the role of the IAG Research Centre. We’re looking at how we can improve road safety,” he said.
“It’s confounding to us that the technology in cars is rolled out with a focus on reducing collisions. But we’re not seeing it coming through.”
He said the basic ADAS research showed people had a variety of reasons for turning the systems off, including distraction, over-sensitivity and confusion.
The next step would be education on ADAS and its operation, with everyone from IAG to governments and car makers.
Before then, IAG and its partners intends to have comprehensive research and recommendations from the test program before the end of the year which can be fed into its recommendations.