'I want my dumb car back': Modern car safety tech slammed for encouraging 'complacency'

10/25/2024 03:01 PM

The addition of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) to modern cars has undoubtedly made the driving experience easier.

Generally speaking, ADAS is a term used to broadly describe safety features like reverse cameras and sensors, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assistance, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

RELATED: Will we ever see fully self-driving cars in Australia?

In more extreme cases, it can be used to describe autonomous functionality like Tesla’s controversial Full Self-Driving or Autopilot, or Volvo’s Pilot Assist.

Advanced safety technology has proved to be so beneficial that various countries such as Australia have mandated some of these features in a bid to curb the country’s national road toll.

For example, the Australian Federal Government previously made autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems compulsory on all new vehicles sold from March 2025 onwards.

At its most basic level, AEB is a safety system that constantly monitors traffic around the vehicle – either through radars or cameras – to detect any potential obstacles. If the AEB system registers potential hazards like another car, a pedestrian or a cyclist in the path of the vehicle, it will automatically bring the car to a stop if the driver fails to engage the brakes.

While ADAS is undoubtedly useful in reducing the likelihood of a car accident, various research has highlighted the potential for drivers to develop an over-reliance on this technology.

Are modern car safety features encouraging laziness in drivers?

Max Von Sabler, a clinical psychologist and Director of Melbourne-based MVS Psychology Group, said "There is a growing body of research suggesting that over-reliance on these systems can reduce driver engagement."

"When drivers become too dependent on the technology, there's a risk of reduced situational awareness and slower reaction times in situations that require manual intervention.

"This phenomenon, sometimes referred to as 'automation complacency', mirrors what we've observed in other areas of automation such as aviation. Drivers might unconsciously delegate responsibility to the system, which could lead to poorer vigilance, more distractions and ultimately, diminished driving skills," Dr Von Sabler told Drive.

Similarly, Driver Dynamics’s Kevin Flynn, an advanced driving instructor with more than 30 years of experience, said the biggest risk regarding modern car safety functions is "when drivers overestimate the abilities of these systems".

"The biggest risk is drivers believing that modern driver aids will always save them – there are plenty of drivers in the cemetery that have cars with all the latest driver assistance systems," Flynn told Drive.

Outside of expert opinion, everyday drivers have also shared their gripes with safety features found in modern cars.

In a June 2024 Reddit thread on the Driving UK group, a social media user asked fellow UK drivers, "Are modern cars more distracting?".

The question was prompted by the original poster’s experience driving a rental MG HS plug-in hybrid after their older 2014 Hyundai iX35 was rear-ended in an accident.

"I hate it [the rental car] so much because it's so distracting. There are beeps, bongs and boops for everything, and the dash is a constant cacophony of flashing symbols and messages… I really want my 'dumb' car back," the Reddit user wrote.

The post attracted a range of comments from people who had encountered similar problems with various other advanced safety features found in newer vehicles.

"I'm 27 years old and consider myself quite tech-savvy, but yes, modern cars are horrible to me. Even the assisted features are a bit of a joke. As a driver, I do not want to fight the steering while I'm switching lanes on the motorway or be urged to stay in the lane when I need to avoid road debris or combat winds," a different Reddit user added.

"All these features in cars are making drivers lazy and just expect the tech to take up the slack," another added.

Of most concern, one Reddit user admitted, "I just get bored and drive way worse with new cars because they do too much and I feel like I don't need to do anything".

With this in mind, Dr Von Sabler said there's a lesser-known issue associated with over-relying on partially automated safety systems.

"One [driving] behaviour that stands out is the shift in perceived responsibility, with ADAS systems, some drivers may feel less accountable for their safety and the safety of others. This could lead to a reduction in defensive driving – a mindset where the driver anticipates potential hazards and adjusts their behaviour accordingly.

"Additionally, the ease provided by these systems may influence risk-taking behaviours, like multitasking while driving, as drivers feel a false sense of security," he told Drive.

As an example, a Melbourne driver was previously sentenced to nine months in prison following a 2022 incident after she struck a pedestrian who was boarding a tram, reportedly dragging him 15 to 20 metres down the road.

As previously reported by Drive, the then 24-year-old motorist was driving a Tesla Model 3 and claimed the vehicle’s semi-autonomous autopilot feature was to blame for the collision.

The victim reportedly spent three weeks in hospital and now suffers from an ongoing brain injury as a result of the incident.

Despite its self-driving capabilities, Tesla Australia states on its website, "Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous”.

Are cars safer now than in the past?

Despite concerns that modern safety features have become too distracting and have negatively impacted driving behaviour, various experts and studies agree advanced safety systems have proven to be a successful accident prevention method.

Australia's peak safety body ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) said advanced driver assistance systems are vital in mitigating the damage to vehicle occupants and other road users in the event of an accident.

"As safety technology evolves, preventing a crash is just as important as surviving one," an ANCAP spokesperson told Drive.

"Vehicles equipped with advanced active safety features – such as automatic emergency braking that detects pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcycles – can significantly reduce the risk of collisions involving vulnerable road users, regardless of vehicle size," they added.

Kevin Flynn from Driver Dynamics agreed, adding "I'm all for as much assistance for the driver as possible, at the end of the day, reducing crashes (or even reducing the exposure to crashes) can't be a bad thing”.

"BSM [blind-spot monitoring] never forgets to check, ABS [anti-lock braking systems] don't panic! Adaptive cruise control always leaves a sensible gap," Flynn told Drive.

In a 2024 study – which looked into the crash-reduction potential of ADAS features – researchers identified that vehicles equipped with AEB decrease the likelihood of an accident by 18 to 26 per cent.

Additionally, the study reported that lane-assistance features reduce crash potential by approximately three to 18 per cent, while vehicles equipped with parking assistance show "a potential reduction of property damage crashes by 38 to 44 per cent".

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