Drivers Have Low Understanding of Advanced Vehicle Safety Features
5 Nov 2015Many newer vehicles have advanced safety features, but a recent study conducted by the University of Iowa Transportation and Vehicle Safety Research Division indicates many drivers don’t know how they work.
In the study, more than 2,000 drivers were interviewed with a series of questions about the safety features of their vehicles. Many of them had heard of some of the safety features or possibly even interacted with some of them, but many others didn’t know what they were, how they worked, or how they would use them. Approximately 40% of the people surveyed said at least once they vehicle behaved in an unexpected way.
Some of the safety features mentioned in the study were adaptive cruise control, back-up cameras, blind spot monitor, anti-lock braking systems, rear cross traffic alerts, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, traction control, and automatic emergency braking systems.
Adaptive cruise control was one of the features that was understood the least, with about 65% of people not knowing what it was or how it worked. The next least used was the lane departure warning system, at about 36% of people. The survey also revealed that many drivers weren’t aware of the some of the safety features that have been in vehicles for a lot longer, such as tire pressure monitoring systems and anti-lock brakes.
According to Daniel McGehee, who is the director of the Transportation and Vehicle Safety Research Division at the UI Public Policy Center,
“As technologies like rear-view cameras and lane departure warning systems advance and become more prevalent in the cars we’re driving, there is a tremendous need to improve consumer understanding of these critical safety features.”
McGehee also expressed his concern over the lack of knowledge about such safety features and that it is important drivers are made more aware of them. They are in place to protect drivers and others on the road, but they are useless if they are never used properly.
Following this informative survey, the University of Iowa decided to create MyCarDoesWhat, along with help from the National Safety Council. This is a campaign that will teach the new safety features to drivers and explain how to use them. It includes information about safety features and video for their various benefits and how to access them. It also includes information about how these features can avoid an incident on the road. It will include graphics and video, an interactive game, an app, and social media interaction.
Moving forward, it’s important for business owners to do their part in educating fleet drivers of the safety features on their vehicles and how to use them. It’s also beneficial to understand how to use their GPS tracking devices optimal in order to receive all the great benefits this technology provides.
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