ERIE,
Pa., May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A national
survey by Erie Insurance found a significant portion of U.S.
drivers turned off or disabled features designed to make their cars
safer, in part because they found them annoying or distracting. A
new analysis shows the estimated percentage and number of certain
types of crashes that could have been avoided that year had drivers
left the safety features on.
Specifically, it found that:
- Leaving on automated emergency braking could have
reduced front-to-rear crashes by 60% resulting in 16,000+
fewer crashes,
- Leaving on lane departure warning could have reduced
single vehicle, sideswipe, head-on crashes by 14% or nearly
8,000 fewer crashes, and
- Leaving on blind spot monitoring could have reduced
lane-change crashes by 15%, resulting in about 1,000 fewer
of those types of crashes.
The analysis also looked at the potential safety improvements
that could be achieved if all cars had the safety features and left
them turned on. For example, if all cars had automated emergency
braking and drivers left it on, crashes could be reduced by
750,000.
Erie Insurance consulted with the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety on the analysis to raise awareness of the benefits
of safety features and to encourage drivers to use them. IIHS
reviewed its data on the crash avoidance effects of various
features in combination with Erie Insurance survey data on the
percentage of drivers who admitted to turning off or otherwise
disabling those features. Both the IIHS and Erie Insurance survey
data were published in 2020.
"We hope that seeing the huge benefits of these safety features
will encourage drivers to use them, even if at first they don't
like them," said Jon Bloom, senior
vice president of personal products, Erie Insurance. "It's one
thing to know intuitively that a certain feature makes driving
safer, but it's another to see the impact in hard numbers. These
safety features can help prevent thousands of crashes."
It's easy to see why people might be tempted to turn off
features they find distracting given that many drivers are
rightfully doing all they can to avoid distracted driving, Bloom
added. "But if drivers take the time to get used to the features,
they will no longer experience them as distractions and everyone
will benefit from fewer crashes and safer roads," said Bloom.
Even experts who welcome technological advances that improve
safety concede there's an adjustment period.
"Every new feature in a car requires a bit of training to use.
But when it comes to safety features, the data clearly show the
time taken is well worth the effort," said Paul Atchley, Ph.D., a professor of psychology
at the University of South Florida who
has been studying distracted driving for more than two decades.
"Even though I find the blind spot monitor in my new car overly
protective, even one useful warning can be the difference between a
safe lane change and a near crash."
Click here to see a ranked list of 11 car technology features
drivers most disable and why.
About Erie Insurance
According to A.M. Best Company,
Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie,
Pennsylvania, is the 11th largest homeowners insurer, 13th
largest automobile insurer and 13th largest commercial lines
insurer in the United States based
on direct premiums written. Founded in 1925, Erie Insurance is a
Fortune 500 company and the 19th largest property/casualty insurer
in the United States based on
total lines net premium written. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best,
ERIE has more than 6 million
policies in force and operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. News releases and more
information are available on ERIE's website at www.erieinsurance.com.
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SOURCE Erie Insurance Group