Survey finds discontent with safety features

A recent survey conducted by Erie Insurance has found that safety features that are increasingly being mandated for new vehicles are not always popular with drivers. The survey came up with a list of 11 safety features that many drivers chose to turn off.

At the top of the list is adaptive cruise control, which 30 percent of drivers turn off. Lane keep assist follows, with 23 percent of drivers turning that feature off. These are followed by driver attention monitoring (22 percent), lane departure warning (21 percent), automatic emergency braking (17 percent), traffic sign recognition (14 percent), forward collision warning (11 percent), pedestrian detection (also 11 percent), blind spot monitoring (9 percent) rear cross traffic alert (9 percent) and the backup camera (6 percent). Asked why they turn these systems off, many owners said that they want to control the vehicle, the systems give too many false alarms, or they do not trust the systems.