Survey Suggests Drivers Annoyed With Modern Automotive Tech

A recent survey from AutoPacific has suggested that drivers aren’t terribly pleased with some of the technology that’s being installed into modern vehicles, particularly the features that are designed to police behavior.

The study was said to comprise 500 respondents and yielded a few interesting takeaways. While drivers don’t necessarily despise all of the tech found in today’s cars, some of the more invasive features have some stiff opposition. AutoPacific told Automotive News that consumers broadly appreciated tech designed to improve visibility or aided in parking. But they likewise reported the highest levels of disapproval for driver-monitoring systems and anything that attempted to nudge how they acted behind the wheel.

From Automotive News:

Eighty-eight percent of respondents viewed parking sensors favorably, according to the findings, while blind-spot cameras (83 percent) and rear cross-traffic alerts with automated emergency braking (80 percent) also received high satisfaction marks.

Consumers reported their highest levels of disapproval with speed-limit warnings and driver-monitoring systems, which they viewed as vehicular schoolmarms. Eighteen percent said they did not like driver monitoring while 17 percent disliked speed-limit warnings.

Based on anecdotal evidence, your author would estimate that the national average is significantly higher than that. Most drivers I’ve spoken with aren’t even aware that some new vehicles come with driver-monitoring cameras (often part of advanced driving systems) and that just about everything on sale today uses telematic data to report your every decision behind the wheel back to the manufacturer. However, those that have become aware almost invariably asserted that it was a bridge too far and served as an egregious violation of their privacy.

It was suggested by Automotive News that the above sentiment could complicate efforts to rely on new technology to help curtail traffic accidents. Over the last decade, Western governments have broadly supported the claim that the automotive sector could leverage this kind of tech to curtail bad driving and save lives. AutoPacific, which has numerous automotive clients, likewise admitted that customers are becoming resistant to pay for modern tech features even as awareness about what they entail grows.

“People want to be helped, but they only want to be helped so far,” Robby DeGraff, AutoPacific’s manager of product and consumer insights, told Automotive News.

“Awareness for a lot of these features is pretty good, but the reality is it could be a lot better, and a lot of that responsibility falls on dealers,” he added,

Driving systems designed to offer “hands-free driving” have required billions of dollars in investments from manufacturers. Companies are hoping to recoup those costs via data harvesting and subscription fees. But consumers seem rather mixed on their utility and many have signaled they’re not interested in paying for them.

AutoPacific’s implication is that drivers wouldn't mind some of these features if they were explained better and weren’t so aggressive. But there isn’t a wealth of evidence that these systems are actually improving safety. Per capita roadway fatalities in the United States have seen a general increase that coincides with the broad implementation of touch screens and advanced driving technologies. That doesn’t mean they’re the core reason. Growing disparities in vehicle mass, worsening road conditions and other factors are clearly playing a role. However, the latest automotive tech doesn’t appear to be making much of a positive difference either.

Meanwhile, there’s a surplus of evidence indicating that drivers don’t really enjoy the general direction of automotive tech. Last year, JD Power launched a study that showed people found a significant portion of modern vehicle features either pointless or obnoxious. Features that intervene or constantly chime in were broadly disliked, whereas “hand-free” systems (e.g. Tesla’s Full-Self Driving, Ford’s BlueCruise, GM’s SuperCruise, Mercedes’ Drive Pilot) went underused by most drivers.

The novelty of screens is also wearing off and they’re actually starting to look like a safety issue due to requiring more attention than old-fashioned buttons or knobs. Gesture controls have never been particularly popular, nor have voice commands, despite both technologies seeing continued development over the years. Combine that with a growing subset of the market souring on camera and sensor arrays ,which amplify repair costs and provide privacy concerns, and a lot of this seems like a wasted effort on the part of the industry.

At the end of the day, these are features that are raising the cost of modern vehicles that the general public isn’t particularly enthusiastic about. Many drivers simply want sound, affordable transportation without a lot of gimmicks right now. It’ll be interesting to see how the industry responds.

[Images: Prostock-studio;Shutterstock; Mercedes-Benz; Ford Motor Co.]

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