Does Reliance on Vehicle Safety Tech Make Us More Careless?

Does Reliance on Vehicle Safety Tech Make Us More Careless?

• April 18, 2025
• Categories: Car Accidents

Vehicle rear-view cameras and automatic braking capabilities are substantial advances for public safety. Research shows that both technologies will reduce the number of crashes and fatalities. Many drivers also think these technologies are exciting because they show that cars that can drive themselves are perhaps only a few years away.

Experts caution, though, that it will be many years before anyone can hop in their car, turn on a movie on their cell phone, and have the car drive them to work or home. It is possible this might not even happen in the lifetime of most current adults. Importantly, a growing reliance on these new technologies may have the opposite effect of what they are intended to do. Take a closer look at why drivers may get into more accidents due to safety technology.

Reliance on safety features can cause accidents when drivers assume that these features will allow them to “safely” become distracted. If you are involved in an accident in California because another driver was distracted, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact Neale & Fhima APC at 888-407-2955 to discuss your case today.

The Rise of Driver-Assist Technology

Fully automated vehicles aren’t available yet, except in experimental states, despite what some drivers may believe. Instead, what drivers have today are helpful ‘driver-assist’ technologies. While they are helpful, they can lull drivers into a sense of false security that these tools can completely protect them. They cannot. In some cases, these safety features can cause more problems than they solve when drivers are overly reliant on them.

One of the new safety features that some driving instructors strongly dislike is the blind spot warning system available in new vehicles. The system features sensors to check for hazards, such as vehicles, in the left and right side blind spots. The system typically will alert the driver with an audio warning or a vibration in the steering wheel.

Driving instructors are critical of the system because it may encourage drivers to stop looking over their shoulders to check for hazards. A similar concern exists with lane departure systems. Some wonder if the safety system is encouraging people to drive while tired or to text, knowing the car will correct them. Some drivers have said they love that feature because it allows them to text and drive ‘safely.’ Unfortunately, while these systems may limit distracted driving accidents in some cases, they can’t prevent them completely.

Research Shows New Auto Safety Features Can Reduce Safety

A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveals a significant flaw in the increasing use of partial driver-assist programs. According to researchers from the study, drivers were more likely to engage in distracted behavior when they were driving a vehicle that had driver-assist features. While using a Pilot Assist feature, these drivers would perform actions like:

• Texting
• Grooming
• Eating
• Using other types of electronics.

These actions weren’t one-time occurrences, either. Subjects in the study were driving while distracted over 30% of the time they were driving. This is a much higher percentage than the time they drove while distracted when the Pilot Assist feature was turned off, or when they were driving a vehicle without the feature at all.

What the research seems to show is that drivers adapt their behavior based on their environment. The safety technology in these vehicles made drivers feel like they could turn their attention from the road without getting into a car accident. As a result, they were less attentive than they would have been without the technology.

The evidence for this conclusion is strengthened by looking at the behavior of these drivers in relation to the attention reminder feature. This feature is designed to recognize when a driver’s attention is no longer focused on the road and give them escalating warnings, potentially resulting in an emergency slowdown and lockout. However, instead of paying more attention to the road, many drivers figured out how to game the system. They learned the timing of the warnings and would do what was needed to appear to be focused on the road just before those warnings would appear, even while still engaging in distracted behavior.

The bottom line for all drivers to remember is that as driver-assist safety technologies become more available, all drivers still need to remember what their vehicles can and cannot do. Even the best-designed and safest car will never replace what you learned in driver’s school. At some point, fully automated cars may be driving around on public roads. But that technology is not publicly available yet, and drivers who assume their vehicle is capable of those feats can put others in danger.

Drivers also should remember that if they injure someone in their vehicle while relying on driver-assist technology, they still can be held liable in civil court and sued for damages.

Talk to a Southern California Personal Injury Attorney Now

If you are in a car accident, you may have serious injuries that are causing you pain and suffering and time off work. If so, you may have a legal right to be compensated for your losses. Neale & Fhima, as experienced car accident claim lawyers, have many years of experience holding reckless drivers accountable for their actions.

Drivers taking their attention from the road and allowing driver-assist features to act autonomously can cause serious car accidents. If you have been injured by a reckless driver, please contact our law offices serving Los Angeles and Orange counties at 888-407-2955 for a complimentary consultation.