Car safety tech dubbed ‘dangerous, distracting and useless’ by drivers – and it’s why

Motorists are turning off safety features in their cars because they find them ‘dangerous, distracting and useless,’ according to research carried out by Which?.

More than half (54 per cent) of drivers polled in a national survey said they switch off at least one of five main Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) designed to help them adhere to speed limits, not veer out of lanes on motorways and automatically apply brakes to avoid impending collisions.

The European Commission has previously stated that ADAS can reduce injuries from crashes where a car leaves its lane by between 20 and 30 per cent.

However, the watchdog’s findings from a 1,500-strong poll found that motorists are often infuriated by incessant warning bongs from these system or feel too uncomfortable relinquishing control – and their safety – to the tech in their cars. 

The study found that it can take just one incident for a driver to lose faith in the technology before they actively turn it off – and the consumer group says it has received ‘hundreds of complaints’ from owners of different car brands about their vehicle’s behaviour in the last year.

The feature most commonly turned off became a requirement in all new models sold in Europe last year under EU rules introduced on 7 July 2024. 

An exclusive investigation by This is Money found that almost all manufacturers are also installing this ADAS feature in cars destined for UK customers, despite the government not mandating the safety system for Britain’s roads.

Drivers have described Advanced Driver Assistance Systems fitted to their cars – including lane assist – ‘dangerous, distracting and useless’ – and it’s why half turn these features off, according to a watchdog

Which? found that speed assist, which alerts drivers when they are exceeding the speed limit with a combination of warning sounds and vibrations of the steering wheel, is being switched off by nearly half (46 per cent) of users who have it installed in their motors.

Most people Which? surveyed said they had disabled this function because they felt they didn’t need it.

Depending on the system, speed assist uses on-board cameras, road-map data or a combination of both to issue a speed limit warning; however, it can be inaccurate if it picks up road signs for parallel roads, unofficial signs and digital signage.

Under EU regulations, all new models sold from last summer must have the latest iteration of this feature installed. And Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) cannot be permanently turned off in cars sold from 7 July 2024.

The rules dictate that ISA must automatically activate each time a car is started, forcing drivers who do not want to use it to turn it off before every journey – usually via a frustrating sequence of sub-menus in a touchscreen system. 

Last year, we contacted the UK’s 32 biggest selling car brands – which represent 98.9 per cent of the new car market – asking if they are set to equip new UK models with ISA despite there being no mandate in Britain. The majority said they were and explained the steps required to turn it off.

Intelligent Speed Assistance is only mandated for new models sold in the EU from 7 July 2024. However, This is Money exclusively revealed last year that it will be fitted to almost all UK cars as mainstream manufacturers confirm they will equip their new models with these systems

Under the EU GSR2 regulation (Regulation [EU] 2019/2144 to give its full name) ISA must be active every time the car’s engine starts – but there also must be the option for drivers to turn it off for each journey. Volume-selling brands have told us how to do this in their new vehicles

Lane-keep assist was the second safety feature most likely to be disabled according to Which?’s survey (42 per cent). 

Half of those who said they switch it off did so because they found it either dangerous, annoying or distracting. 

On-board cameras and sensors detect lane and road-edge markings and manoeuvre the driver into staying in their lane but this may be flawed while driving on narrow roads and can fail to account for cyclists or parked cars.

Last year, Which? and This is Money received hundreds of complaints from MG4 EV owners who told both us and the consumer watchdog that the system in their Chinese electric cars would steer them into danger rather than help them to avoid it.

The third safety feature drivers were likely to switch off according to the Which? survey was emergency braking (34 per cent).

This is Money has received hundreds of emails from disgruntled MG4 EV owners who have all described experiencing the same dangerous flaw with the car’s lane assistance feature

Because Lane Keeping Assist is part of the MG4s ADAS package, the default setting means it is activated each time the driver starts the engine. This means it needs to be manually deactivated before every journey, though owners say this isn’t a simple process

Elsewhere, almost another third said they had turned off the attention or drowsiness monitoring feature. 

Cockpit-mounted cameras detect the position of the driver’s eyes and can warn if it detects signs of tiredness such as yawning. The car can also detect if the driver’s eyes are off the road too often – for example when operating the car’s touch screen.

Like ISA, motorists are alerted by a series of warning sounds. 

Three in 10 motorists told Which? they switch off their blind-spot monitoring feature because they didn’t need it, or they found it distracting or annoying.

Eileen, a 75 year old grandmother and Motability disability scheme customer, told Which? her Hyundai i20 – bought at the end of 2023 – had gone from being a lifeline to a ‘nightmare’.

She said it had constantly misread speed limits (such as telling her the limit in a 30mph zone is 80mph) and unnecessarily corrected her steering as she crossed over centre lines in the road when navigating parked cars around Greater Manchester.

‘To feel the steering wheel suddenly spin and the car begin to swerve was terrifying. I’ve seriously considered getting some old, beat-up car from five years ago that doesn’t have this technology,’ she said.

A Hyundai spokesperson responded: ‘Our ADAS technology is designed to enhance safety, convenience, and driving confidence. 

‘We understand that ADAS functionality may take some time to get used to, and certain driving conditions can affect system performance. 

‘To ensure the best experience, we recommend our customers review ADAS settings and calibrate to their own taste, as some features can be adjusted to suit driving preferences.’

They added: ‘ADAS are present due to legislative requirements, however they can be deactivated each time the vehicle is started up by the driver if preferred. 

‘ADAS are designed to aid drivers wherever possible, however the driver remains ultimately responsible for control of their vehicle and must maintain an awareness of external factors such as road condition and speed limits.’

Eileen, 75, told Which? her Hyundai i20 (stock image) had gone from being a lifeline to a ‘nightmare’ due to the safety assist technology making her feel at risk on journeys

Euro NCAP, the automotive safety body that crash tests and rates new models entering the market, awards vehicles additional points for having ADAS features.

However, from January 2026 it will also grade ADAS performance on their user friendliness. 

Harry Rose, Editor of Which? Magazine, said: ‘These features should be keeping motorists safe, so it is really concerning that so many people are turning them off because they don’t find them useful, or even worse, that they find them distracting or dangerous.

‘It’s up to legislators and standard-setters to make sure these features are fit for purpose and for the UK’s roads, but if you are in the market for a new car, it’s really worth going for a test drive to see how the car’s safety features work in a real-world scenario.

‘If the tech is working well it should be possible to adapt to driving with it so that it fulfils its purpose of making you feel safer at the wheel. 

‘Turning it off should only be a last resort as if you turn the systems off, they’re not protecting you, or anyone else.’

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart conducted a poll of its own on the use of ADAS features as part of its annual Road Safety Report. 

It found that a third of drivers opt to not use them.

Nicholas Lyes, the group’s director of policy and standards, said it was ‘ironic that so many rely on technology on a day-to-day basis, yet within their vehicles, drivers at best seem ambivalent about using technology systems that could save their lives’.

He added: Part of the issue is likely to be a lack of understanding of how each of these systems can benefit them. 

‘Many might switch off certain systems because the alarm might be irritating or because they don’t like the feel of the steering wheel autocorrecting to keep the vehicle in a lane. 

‘Manufacturers are consistently improving the technology, but this will take time.’