Why using your car's safety features matters
Modern vehicles come loaded with advanced safety technology designed to keep us safer on the road. But are these features always embraced by drivers? The latest 2025 AAMI Crash Index has shone a light on driver attitudes toward car safety features and exposed a surprising trend: many Australians are turning them off.
Why drivers are switching off safety tech
The AAMI Crash Index, now in its 31st year, surveyed over 2,000 Australian drivers and analysed more than 480,000 insurance claims from February 2024 to February 2025. The results uncovered that one in five Aussie drivers have turned off at least some of their car's advanced safety features.
The main reasons for this being:
- 69% found the features too annoying, distracting, or sensitive.
- 23% believed they didn’t need in-car assistance.
- 13% simply didn’t trust the technology.
The most commonly disabled features were lane departure warning and lane keeping assist (45%), adaptive cruise control (17%), parking assist (17%), automatic emergency braking (16%) and forward collision warning (11%).
The impact of car safety tech on road safety
Car safety features are changing how we drive in Australia. Things like emergency braking, lane warnings, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot alerts are designed to keep us safe and help avoid crashes. These systems watch what’s happening around the car and can warn you or even step in if you’re heading for trouble.
AAMI's data revealed that vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), especially autonomous braking, were less likely to be involved in accidents compared to those without such technology.
The more cars with this tech, the safer the roads get for everyone. But for these features to really make a difference, drivers need to trust them and actually use them.
Expert advice: Don’t turn off your car’s safety features
Mary Kennedy, AAMI Motor Prevention Manager, has urged drivers to not just rely on but actively embrace these technologies.
"In-car safety features aren't just gadgets – they're designed to help protect us and make our roads safer," Kennedy explained.
"Nose to tail collisions are the most common type of crash on our roads - they’re expensive, occur frequently, but most importantly many are preventable.
"Many of the safety features drivers are turning off, like collision warning and automatic emergency braking, are really effective at preventing these types of crashes, along with many others including reversing into another vehicle or object such as a trolley or bollard.
"Drivers should understand and use these safety features to enhance their own awareness, reduce the risk of human error, and avoid getting into an accident in the first place.
"For more than three decades, the AAMI Crash Index has been educating drivers on the importance of using safe driving habits and avoiding those that lead to accidents. We know through our claims data that Friday continues to be the worst day of the week, and afternoons are the most dangerous time on our roads, which is why we are sharing these insights in the hope of creating safer roads for everyone."
What safety features do drivers value most?
We know they’re good for us – as more than half of Aussie drivers (59% per cent) agreed car safety features are proven methods for improving road safety, and that they reduce the severity and frequency of accidents.
When searching for a new or used car, the most important car safety features to Aussie drivers were:
- Reverse camera
- Blind spot detection/monitoring
- Parking assist
- Automatic emergency braking
- Adaptive cruise control
Embrace car safety features for safer roads
Modern car safety features are proven to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents. While some drivers find them irritating or unnecessary, the data is clear – using these technologies can make a real difference on Australian roads. By understanding and using your vehicle’s safety systems you can help keep yourself and others safer every time you drive.
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This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.
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