In safe hands?
Opinion
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Today’s technology-rich vehicles are breeding a ‘risk compensation’ mindset with too many drivers offsetting the benefits through risky driving, argues Gavin Jones, head of risk management at fleet management specialist Masterlease...
Gavin Jones, head of risk management at leasing specialist Masterlease
Today's technology-rich vehicles are moving ever closer to the self-driving car. And while some may feel excited by the prospect of being robotically chauffeur driven, others are rightly concerned that some drivers haven’t yet got to grips with using current technology.
The modern car is often fitted with ABS brakes, twin front airbags, side and supplementary airbags, parking sensors and impactprotected doors. Drivers can also opt for added features such as satellite navigation and lane departure warning systems. More recently, there have been calls by infl uential bodies in the automotive industry, including RoadSafe, for car manufacturers to fi t electronic stability control as standard – a system designed to improve a vehicle’s handling, particularly when certain hazardous situations encountered.
Leaps
Car technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years and has no doubt improved safety. But as each new improvement has progressed, so has a driver’s perception that their car is easier and safer to drive at high speeds.
There is obviously a risk to this mindset.
Many drivers are unaware of how the new technology in cars actually works yet they increasingly rely on these safety systems to help reduce a potential accident.
When a driver picks up a new car it is unlikely that they are given a full overview of how features work and what to expect when systems come into play. For example, in an emergency stop situation, ABS causes the brakes to be rapidly applied and disengaged, under a sophisticated management system, in order to prevent the wheels from locking – locked wheels cause instability. What often happens, which a driver may not know, is the ABS can cause a judder or repetitive feedback through the pedal which may lead the person behind the wheel to think something is wrong with the brakes. In this situation, if the driver releases pedal pressure due to uncertainty, the result may be the last thing required.
"It is vital that drivers receive some level of car training so that they fully understand what the technology can and cannot do"
It is vital that drivers receive some level of car training so that they fully understand what the technology can and cannot do. For example, as useful as parking sensors are, they cannot detect low-lined bollards. In some cases, where systems are switchable, drivers forget to switch their sensors on and reverse without looking, relying on the technology to be their eyes and ears instead of using the basics – mirrors and windows.
Satellite navigation, despite being an extremely useful tool, has received negative publicity because it has become a device that people heavily depend on instead of using their common sense.
Most notable, is the incident where a driver was guided by her satellite navigation into the path of a 60 mph train. Clearly, this is an extreme case but nonetheless it is an example of people’s over-dependence and complete trust in technology.
Similarly, the lane departure warning system – a mechanism designed to warn a driver when the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane – will no doubt help prevent accidents. But there is a concern that drivers may offset the safety benefits. An increased sense of security in the device can mean that drivers are more easily tempted by distractions, or risk driving drowsy, relying on the lane departure warning system to work if their tiredness gets the better of them.
Courses
At Masterlease we offer courses for all categories of vehicles. One employer in particular encountered 32 claims in one year, which cost it over £53,000 and put them at a loss ratio of 133%. The following year they started using driver training and reduced the claims by half. Of the claims that occurred the costs of the accidents were much lower and as a result the loss ratio was only 31% for the entire year.
Training advises drivers on risk management issues that aim to improve driving and manoeuvring and encourages drivers to use their own senses. If changes to car technology continue to grow at the current speeds it will be vital that more people understand these features and recognise that they are a useful aid but do not provide immunity to danger.