One in five drivers admit turning off their vehicle’s advanced safety features, Suncorp insurer AAMI’s annual crash index has revealed. 

Of those, 69% say the advanced driver assistance systems are “annoying” or “distracting”. A further 23% do not see the need for the features, while 13% express mistrust at their effectiveness.  

The most switched off safety features are lane departure warnings and lane-keeping assist, shut down by 45% of drivers, followed by adaptive cruise control and parking assist at 17%.  

Another 16% of drivers turn off automatic emergency braking, and 11% disable forward collision warning systems.  

Suncorp says the “eye-opening” data comes as 59% of drivers acknowledge the features contribute to road safety.  

The insurer’s claims data shows vehicles with advanced safety systems have a lower chance of being in an accident than those without.  

AAMI motor prevention manager Mary Kennedy says drivers should be “embracing these features, not turning them off”.

“In-car safety features aren’t just gadgets, they’re designed to help protect us and make our roads safer,” she said. “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.”  

Suncorp’s analysis of more than 480,000 claims found nose-to-tail crashes are the most common incidents, and afternoon is the leading time for crashes.