Approximately one-fifth of Australian motorists disabling their safety driving features
In a recent report by AAMI, it has been revealed that a significant number of Australian drivers are disabling safety features in modern vehicles. The most commonly deactivated safety feature is lane departure warnings and lane keeping assist, with 45% of drivers opting to turn these off [1][3][4].
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are designed to prevent accidents and save lives, including features like lane departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and parking assist [2]. However, many drivers find these systems annoying, distracting, or too sensitive, with 69% of those who disable them citing these reasons [4].
Other frequently turned-off features include adaptive cruise control and parking assist, each disabled by 17% of drivers, and automatic emergency braking, deactivated by 16% [1][3]. Despite these concerns, 59% of survey respondents recognized that these features contribute to better road safety and reduce the frequency and severity of crashes [2][3].
AAMI Motor Prevention Manager Mary Kennedy emphasized the critical role of in-car safety features in road safety. She stated that many of the systems drivers are disabling are extremely effective in preventing common accidents like rear-end crashes or reversing into objects [1][2][4].
The report, known as the 2025 AAMI Crash Index, highlights a gap between the acknowledged safety benefits of these technologies and the user experience factors that lead to their being turned off by a significant minority of Australian drivers. The report urges drivers to familiarize themselves with these systems and to use them to enhance road safety rather than disabling them [1][2][4].
Interestingly, when buying a new or used vehicle, drivers prioritize features like reverse cameras, blind spot monitoring, parking assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control [5]. This suggests a paradox, as many of the same drivers who prioritize these features when purchasing a vehicle are the ones who disable them once they are behind the wheel.
Despite drivers turning off safety systems, nose-to-tail collisions remain the most frequent crash type, particularly during afternoon hours [6]. However, AAMI's analysis of over 480,000 claims from February 2024 to February 2025 found that vehicles equipped with ADAS, especially those with autonomous braking, were less likely to be involved in accidents [3].
About one-fifth of drivers disable these features because they don't feel they need the assistance (23%), while a significant number (13%) admit to not trusting the technology [4]. Despite these concerns, the majority of Australians recognize the value of these systems, acknowledging that they help reduce the severity and frequency of accidents.
The 2025 AAMI Crash Index is designed to raise awareness and promote safer driving habits across Australia. It underscores the importance of familiarizing oneself with the safety features in modern vehicles and using them to enhance road safety rather than disabling them.
- While many drivers prioritize car safety features such as parking assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control when buying a new or used vehicle [5], a significant number (45%) of these same drivers are disabling safety features like lane departure warnings and lane keeping assist [1][3][4], which are designed to contribute to better road safety [2][3].
- In a lifestyle contrast, although some drivers disregard technology-driven car safety functions, like autonomous braking, due to lack of confidence or the perception that they don't require assistance (23%) [4], a majority of Australians actually acknowledge the value of these systems, understanding that they help reduce the severity and frequency of accidents [2][3].
