Australians switching off potentially life-saving car safety tech

Australians are routinely switching off advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that new research estimates could potentially prevent almost one in five serious road casualties.

A major study commissioned by insurance giant IAG and conducted with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre found 60 per cent of surveyed drivers admitted to actively switching off at least some ADAS features.

Only 57 per cent of drivers with ADAS-equipped vehicles reported using the features frequently.

That is despite analysis of almost 100,000 crashes finding every driver-assistance system studied reduced the likelihood of the type of crash it was designed to target.

The research estimates that if the technologies were fitted across the vehicle fleet and remained active, around 7850 serious casualties – fatalities and hospitalisations – could potentially be prevented annually, equivalent to a 19.6 per cent reduction.

The study combined three streams of Australian research: analysis of 98,044 targeted crashes in Queensland and Victoria, a controlled driving study involving 50 motorists using six ADAS technologies in three vehicles, and a national survey of 2024 licensed drivers with ADAS-equipped vehicles.

Crash data showed the biggest potential reductions were in sideswipe collisions, where lane keeping assist (LKA) was associated with reductions of up to 40 per cent, followed by head-on crashes at up to 21 per cent and lane-change crashes at up to 15 per cent.

But the research also identified a disconnect between the demonstrated safety benefits of the technology and motorists' willingness to use it.

Drivers generally preferred passive systems that warn them of danger, including blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning and lane-departure warning.

Systems that intervene directly – such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keeping assist – were viewed less favourably, with persistent warnings, false alerts and a perceived loss of control among the reasons given for switching them off.

While the crash modelling found LKA could reduce targeted sideswipe crashes by up to 40 per cent, IAG Research Centre head Shawn Ticehurst said it also generated the most negative reaction among participants.

“Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) has the potential to deliver significant safety benefits, potentially preventing 40 per cent of sideswipe collisions, but we found it also generated the most negative feedback from our field-study participants, who consistently found it frustrating, annoying and the most likely to be actively switched off,” Ticehurst said.

The study suggests familiarity and education could play an important role.

It found 80 per cent of drivers had learned to use their vehicle's ADAS through trial and error, while almost half had taken no proactive steps to educate themselves beyond that process.

In the QUT controlled driving study, participants were given practical instruction before experiencing the systems. Researchers found a single instructor-guided ADAS test drive significantly improved trust, confidence and the intention to use the crash-avoidance technologies.

The results come as ADAS requirements for new vehicles continue to expand in Australia.

Car-to-car AEB became mandatory across new vehicles in March 2025, while car-to-pedestrian AEB became mandatory from August 1, 2026. Lane-keeping technology is scheduled to become the next mandated ADAS feature for new passenger vehicles, with requirements due to take full effect in March 2029.

However, the expansion of ADAS comes as safety authority ANCAP increases its focus on ensuring driver-assistance and monitoring systems do not themselves create unnecessary distraction or frustration.

IAG's report says around 40,000 Australians are killed or hospitalised following road crashes annually, with road trauma estimated to cost the country $31.8 billion each year.

The study argues simply fitting more safety technology to new cars will not deliver its full potential unless drivers are prepared to leave the systems switched on.

Its national survey found 72 per cent of drivers of ADAS-equipped vehicles said they would benefit from more information or instruction about using the technology.

“Collaboration between vehicle manufacturers, governments, driver educators and motorists will be critical to increasing the ongoing use of ADAS technologies and unlocking their full potential to reduce collisions and ultimately save lives on Australian roads,” Ticehurst said.

One important qualification applies to the headline casualty figure: the modelling assumes all vehicles are equipped with the relevant ADAS technologies and that the systems remain active. The underlying crash analysis measured whether ADAS was available in a vehicle, not whether it was actually switched on at the time of the crash.

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