Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) could prevent thousands of road casualties each year. Still, new research has found that many Australian motorists are switching off systems they consider annoying, intrusive or unreliable.
The IAG Driving Safer Outcomes Report, produced by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Insurance Australia Group (IAG), found that 60 per cent of Australian drivers regularly switch off ADAS features they do not trust or find frustrating.
The research comes as Australia’s road toll continues to rise despite the growing availability of driver-assistance technology in new vehicles.
ADAS could prevent 20 per cent of casualties
The study analysed survey responses, driver data and approximately 100,000 collisions on Australian roads.
It found that every driver-assistance system examined reduced the type of crash it was designed to prevent, with the largest reductions including:
- Up to 40 per cent fewer sideswipe collisions
- Up to 21 per cent fewer head-on collisions
- Up to 15 per cent fewer lane-change accidents
IAG Research Centre head Shawn Ticehurst said the findings showed a disconnect between the increasing availability of safety technology and road safety outcomes.
“In a modernising vehicle fleet with driver-assist safety features as standard, we would expect to see a positive correlation in reduced accident and casualty rates,” Ticehurst said.
“But that’s not happening, and it needs to change if we want to see fewer accidents.”
The report estimates that full uptake of driver-assistance systems could prevent 20 per cent of road casualties each year.
Based on around 40,000 casualties annually, this would equate to approximately 7,850 fewer casualties each year.
Lane keeping systems face strongest resistance
Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) was identified as having significant potential safety benefits, but it also generated the strongest negative feedback from drivers involved in the field study.
“Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) has the potential to deliver significant safety benefits, potentially preventing 40 per cent of sideswipe collisions,” Ticehurst said.
“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.”
Drivers were more likely to deactivate ADAS when systems made sudden steering or braking interventions, generated persistent warnings, or produced false alerts.
Around 45 per cent of respondents said ADAS could be distracting, while 17 per cent said the technology made driving more difficult.
Drivers need better understanding of safety systems
The research also identified a knowledge gap around how ADAS features operate.
Four in five respondents said they learned how their vehicle’s safety systems worked through trial and error, suggesting greater driver education could help improve confidence and encourage continued use.
The report found that experience with reliable systems was important in building driver trust and ensuring the technology delivered its intended safety benefits.
Road toll continues to increase
The findings come against a backdrop of worsening road safety outcomes in Australia.
In the 12 months to 31 July 2026, the national road toll increased 0.9 per cent to 1,326 deaths, according to the National Road Safety Data Hub.
The research noted that ADAS is becoming increasingly common, with one in four vehicles currently on Australian roads sold within the past five years, increasing the prevalence of technologies such as autonomous emergency braking.
Car-to-car and pedestrian AEB are already mandatory on applicable new vehicles, while emergency lane-keeping systems will become mandatory for newly introduced models from March 2028 and all applicable new vehicles from March 2029.
Ticehurst said greater cooperation across the automotive and road safety sectors would be needed to ensure the technology is used effectively.
“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, to save lives on Australian roads.”
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