4 Reasons Why Relying Too Much on Your Car’s Technology Can Be Risky
Your car’s high-tech features, like lane-keeping assist and backup cameras, are designed to make driving safer. These advancements can help prevent accidents and make the driving experience easier. However, becoming overly dependent on this technology can also create dangerous habits. Here’s what you should know:
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, automotive technology can help reduce accidents because most car accidents are caused by human error. However, relying exclusively on these systems can lead to issues. Drivers might start skipping traditional safety checks, like turning their heads to check blind spots or looking in the rear-view mirror while backing up. They might even become too distracted, assuming that their car’s technology will handle everything.
Here are some reasons to be aware of the limitations of vehicle technology.
1. Vehicle Safety Technology Isn’t Always Foolproof
“These systems are taking on additional driving responsibilities, whether they’re controlling your speed and spacing with an adaptive cruise control system or controlling your position with lane sensory technology,” says William Horrey, technical director of the American Automobile Association’s Foundation for Traffic Safety.
But what if the technology isn’t working perfectly?
The AAA Foundation has found that cameras, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assistance can be affected by heavy rain, dirt, or squashed insects. These systems rely on sensors and cameras, which can’t always “see” the road, other cars, or painted lines in bad weather or less-than-ideal driving conditions. This can affect the car’s performance.
To avoid becoming overly reliant on these high-tech tools, incorporate them into existing, safe driving techniques. Educate yourself on available technology when buying a new car by reading the owner’s manual or watching videos, Horrey suggests. He also recommends asking questions about the technology at the point of sale. AAA offers several resources to help drivers learn about ADAS.
Keep in mind that while today’s vehicles provide driver-support features, “the driver is still responsible for all aspects of driving,” Horrey emphasizes. “You might not be pressing the accelerator or the brake or steering the car every moment of your trip anymore, but you’re still responsible for monitoring the traffic environment, even with these features activated.”
William Van Tassel, AAA’s manager of driver training programs, says that drivers should use the car’s technology as an aid, not a crutch. “It’s tempting to rely exclusively on technology, whether it’s lane-keeping assistance, the rear-view camera or the blind spot warning systems, but there are limitations to those systems,” he warns.
For instance, a smudge of dirt or a water drop on your rear-view camera could block your view. A sensor could also break without warning.
2. Many Drivers Aren’t Familiar With Their Car’s Technology
A 2018 AAA study revealed that many drivers don’t understand how their car’s technology works. For example, 40 percent of respondents mistakenly believed their forward collision warning system would automatically engage emergency braking. They didn’t realize the car would only alert them with a light.
The study also found that drivers thought their car’s blind spot monitoring system could “see” everything, including pedestrians and cyclists, when it only recognized fast-moving cars.
“It’s clear that people don’t have a very good understanding of the limitations of the systems,” Horrey states. “If you’re operating a system and you have expectations about what it will do, and you get into a situation where that’s no longer the case, you could find yourself in trouble — not just in terms of recognizing that something is going wrong, but also having the time to take back control of the vehicle and respond appropriately.”
3. Drivers Can Become Complacent
Over time, depending on your car’s cruise control or blind spot detector may lead you to unconsciously give yourself permission to daydream or not pay as much attention as you used to. This creates a distracted driving situation, Horrey explains.
“As you interact with a system that does a pretty good job most of the time, you begin to trust it and get more comfortable.”
Horrey points out that an AAA Foundation study with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that experienced drivers or long-term owners of vehicles with some of these technologies were “more likely to engage in secondary, distracting tasks while they were using the systems, compared to a group that hadn’t really built up that rapport with the system.”
4. Drivers Become Overly Reliant
A 2021 study by Aceable, a driver education e-learning provider, found that relying on smart car technology could weaken driving and navigation skills. According to the study, 61 percent of participants felt comfortable enough to take their eyes off the road, while 58 percent relied on their car’s sensors instead of checking their surroundings for pedestrians.
Van Tassel says that drivers should view these technologies as backups to good driving. “Drive as if you don’t have them and allow them to back you up if needed, rather than relying on them to save you. The driver is still the most effective technology in the vehicle.”
Go Back to ‘Old-School’ Driving Techniques
Some drivers, like Alice Knisley-Matthias, prefer not to let ADAS take over. “I find it more distracting. I drive with classical music on in the car for a peaceful atmosphere, and all the beeps and blips are unwelcome noise,” says Knisley-Matthias, who lives in Staten Island, New York.
While vehicle safety technology is meant to make driving safer, it shouldn’t replace the role of an engaged driver. “I’m aware of what features are in the car and what it says in the manual, but I think the blind spot features have blind spots, so I would never completely rely on the technology,” she says. “I still feel I am my best defense.”
Horrey recommends using the rear-view camera as one source of information while also swiveling your head to check behind and all around. The same goes for lane-assist systems: check your blind spot every time.
Knisley-Matthias also worries that newer drivers, who grew up with high-tech vehicles, might not drive as safely as those who learned the rules before those tools existed. “I don’t know if new drivers will develop the same skill set with technology available right from the start.”
