ERIE, Pa., June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's cars are
safer than ever thanks to advanced engineering and technology, but
some drivers intentionally turn off or disable features that could
help them avoid crashes. Erie Insurance, a car insurance company
concerned about the safety of its customers and all drivers,
commissioned a national survey to find out which features drivers
disable the most and why. The survey, which was limited to drivers
whose cars were model year 2016 or later, asked if they had ever
turned off or disabled any of 11 features commonly available in
newer vehicles.
![A national survey discovers which new car features drivers disable and why. A national survey discovers which new car features drivers disable and why.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1197686/Erie_Insurance_Group_survey.jpg)
"Drivers said their most common reasons for turning off or
disabling features is that they find them annoying or distracting,"
said Jon Bloom, vice president of
personal auto, Erie Insurance. Bloom said while automakers are
always working to refine and improve features, there also may be
cases when it's more a matter of learning how the feature works and
getting used to it. "Ideally as features improve and drivers get
more comfortable with them, using them will become second-nature
the way seatbelts are today. The payoff could be huge in terms of
reducing crashes and saving lives."
In fact, some newer car features are dramatically decreasing
crashes. For example, an analysis by the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI)
found that forward collision warning combined with automated
emergency braking cuts front-to-rear crashes with injuries by more
than half (56%). But the Erie Insurance survey found that, of the
drivers whose vehicles have these features, 11% turn off forward
collision warning and 17% turn off automated emergency braking.
Interestingly, the two features drivers were most likely to say
they disabled were ones designed to enhance their comfort and
convenience. The largest percentage of drivers (30%) said they had
not used adaptive cruise control, which keeps a vehicle a specific
distance from the car in front of it by applying the brakes if it
gets too close. The most cited reason for not using this feature
was "I want to control the vehicle, not have the vehicle control
itself."
The second most disabled feature was lane keeping assist, which
helps prevent the car from straying across lane markings by
automatically making light braking or minor steering adjustments.
Almost a quarter of drivers (23%) said they turned off lane keeping
assist, and the most cited reason was that they found the feature
annoying. One respondent said the feature doesn't work well
[because] it hugs the lines too closely and another said it reduces
the car's fuel economy.
Below is the list of features drivers were asked about ranked by
the percentage of people who said they had turned off or disabled
it. Since drivers called every feature they had disabled annoying
and/or distracting, additional reasons other than those two are
also listed:
Feature
|
% Who Have
Turned It
Off/Disabled
It
|
In Addition to
Annoying and/or Distracting, Other Reason(s)
for Turning It Off/Disabling It
|
Adaptive cruise
control
|
30%
|
I want to control the
vehicle, not have the vehicle control itself
|
Lane keeping
assist
|
23%
|
I want to control the
vehicle, not have the vehicle control itself
It is not
helpful
|
Driver attention
monitor
|
22%
|
It sends too many
false alarms
|
Lane departure
warning
|
21%
|
It is not
helpful
It sends too many
false alarms
|
Automated emergency
braking
|
17%
|
I don't trust
it
I want to control the
vehicle, not have the vehicle control itself
|
Traffic sign
recognition
|
14%
|
It is not
helpful
I had a bad
experience with it
|
Forward collision
warning
|
11%
|
It sends too many
false alarms
|
Pedestrian
detection
|
11%
|
It is not helpful
I want to control the vehicle, not have the vehicle control
itself
|
Blind-spot
monitoring
|
9%
|
I want to control the
vehicle, not have the vehicle control itself
It is not helpful
I don't trust
it
|
Rear cross traffic
alert
|
9%
|
It is not helpful
I don't trust it
It sends too many
false alarms
|
Backup
camera
|
6%
|
I had a bad
experience with it
I don't trust it
|
Drivers were also asked whether they would want each feature if
they were buying another vehicle today. Adaptive cruise control was
the least popular feature by far, with more than a third of drivers
(35%) saying they definitely would not want it. The percentages of
drivers who definitely wouldn't want any of the other 10 features
were all in the single digits.
In terms of how they learned to use the features in their
vehicles, the largest percentage (38%) learned at the car
dealership, a third (32%) figured it out while driving and 14%
learned by reading the owner's manual. Seventeen percent of the
18-24-year-olds learned at a driving school and smaller percentages
read about it or watched videos online or learned from a friend or
family member.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online by
Falls on behalf of Erie Insurance,
from February 28 through March 4,
2020, among 500 U.S. licensed drivers ages 18 and older with
vehicle model years between 2016 and 2020. Falls established the sampling quotas,
designed the questionnaire, tabulated the survey responses, and
managed the overall project. Falls
used Dynata (Plano, TX) to
administer the survey via the internet, including mobile devices,
to Dynata's captive U.S. panels who met the age, gender, and
regional demographic
criteria.
About Erie Insurance
According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in
Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 11th
largest homeowners insurer and 12th largest automobile insurer in
the United States based on direct
premiums written and the 16th largest property/casualty insurer in
the United States based on total
lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M.
Best Company, has more than 6 million policies in force and
operates in 12 states and the District of
Columbia. Erie Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 company.
News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group
are available at https://www.erieinsurance.com/.
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SOURCE Erie Insurance Group