When many New York residents were children, they may have thought that flying cars would exist by the time they reached adulthood. Though flying cars are still out of reach in 2020, the idea of having self-driving vehicles seems to be getting closer to becoming a reality. While this advancement may intrigue you, you may not feel confident in the safety level of such vehicles.
These days, most newer vehicle models have at least a few technological features meant to improve safety while driving. Automatic braking, blind spot warnings and much more could help drivers avoid collisions. Of course, that would mean that drivers would have to know how to use them and pay attention to any warnings those devices send out.
Do most drivers use their safety features?
Though a vehicle’s safety features could certainly attract new vehicle buyers, you may feel surprised to know that many drivers turn off various safety features. According to reports, the main reason for disabling certain features is that they are annoying. The top features that drivers commonly disable include the following:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane-keeping assist
- Lane departure warning
- Automated emergency braking
- Pedestrian detection
The intended purpose of these features is to improve the safety of the vehicle and to help drivers avoid collisions. However, if drivers disable these devices, they cannot help in accident prevention. Of course, these features do not have a perfect record for preventing crashes, even if drivers have them turned on.
Would fully autonomous vehicles be safer?
Though the idea of fully autonomous vehicles is certainly interesting, you and many other people across the country may not feel that self-driving vehicles would prevent collisions. After all, technology can fail for various reasons, and the conditions under which certain features operate could affect their performance. In fact, nearly half of Americans have already indicated that they would never get into a self-driving taxi or ride-share vehicle.
Present dangers
Seeing fully autonomous vehicles everywhere you turn may only exist far in the future, and today’s vehicles and drivers still present dangers to you and your loved ones. In the event that you suffer serious injuries in a car accident caused by another driver, you may have reason to seek compensation for damages resulting from that incident. Even with technological safety features in place, drivers still have a responsibility to pay attention and act responsibly behind the wheel.
