IAG is investigating the use of advanced driver-assistance systems, which it says are not meeting their potential to reduce road accident numbers. 

The insurer will analyse driver behaviour under features such as emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance, in partnership with Queensland University of Technology and transport researcher iMOVE. 

QUT professor Sebastien Glaser says 40% of vehicles in Australia are forecast to be ADAS-enabled by 2031, but we are “yet to see” their life-saving potential realised and “this research project seeks to understand why”. 

All new vehicles sold in Australia must have car-to-car autonomous emergency braking, and from next August a car-to-pedestrian autonomous braking function will also be mandatory.  

But an IAG survey has found 60% of drivers turn off the safety features. It will conduct driver studies at the RACQ Mobility Centre in Brisbane and publish findings next year. 

IAG research centre head Shawn Ticehurst says the fieldwork aims to identify knowledge gaps. 

“The vast majority of Australians driving ADAS-enabled vehicles are learning to use these safety features through a process of trial and error from behind the wheel.  

“We are seeking to understand ... what might encourage a behavioural shift to help in reducing preventable accident rates.”