It’s been four decades since seatbelts were first mandated by law in the UK, marking the beginning of a new era of road safety. Seatbelts continue to save countless lives, but advancing technology is unlocking a wave of sophisticated new features in our vehicles that could further enhance safety.
Most modern vehicles now emerge from the factory teeming with acronym-heavy technological features, often with the sole purpose of reducing the likelihood of collisions. There’s an issue with the surge of fancy new tech: most drivers simply don’t understand how to use all the new bells and whistles they’re presented with.
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) include an assortment of cutting-edge technological breakthroughs, including cruise control, automatic emergency braking, self-parking systems, and intelligent speed adaptation.
Red Corporate Driver Training conducted research among 1,000 drivers to obtain their viewpoints on ADAS, and the findings exposed a significant disparity in their awareness and comprehension of these systems.
Although 86% of the drivers were familiar with reversing and parking sensors, other features such as a driver monitor system (to ensure the driver’s attentiveness) and intelligent speed adaptation (which connects to traffic signals) were only recognised by 40% and 34% of the participants, respectively. Similarly, when it comes to drivers using these systems, 38% of respondents use reversing and parking sensors regularly, whereas just 2.8% of drivers utilise a driver monitor system. Over half (54%) of the respondents stated that they abstain from using these systems since they prefer to have complete control, while 44% expressed concern about becoming overly dependent on the technology.
For some, the expense is a hurdle, as the cost of purchasing a vehicle equipped with ADAS (and maintaining it) is a significant factor. However, the majority of vehicles now come with a variety of these systems already fitted as standard.
Primarily, the usage of ADAS is hindered by insufficient knowledge. A lot of drivers are unaware that their vehicle is equipped with such systems, while others are apprehensive about attempting to use them on their own. Some drivers attribute their lack of familiarity to vague instructions in the vehicle manual. Additionally, many believe they do not require ADAS, with the common justification being, “I feel I’m a great driver”.
Understand your fleet vehicles.
As a fleet manager, have you considered additional expenditure on choosing vehicles equipped with the latest ADAS, only to discover that ADAS is being underutilised by your drivers? When asked about what would encourage respondents to use ADAS, over 50% cited the need for some form of training, whether online, in-vehicle or in a classroom, as the first step.
IAM RoadSmart’s Vehicle Familiarisation course will ensure your drivers are equipped with the skills they need to drive your vehicles safely. This on-road driver training course teaches them procedures to follow whenever they are required to drive an unfamiliar vehicle. It also makes them aware of the ways in which they will need to adapt their driving to deal with a new vehicle’s size, driving dynamics and onboard features.
