A new EuroTest survey about drivers’ awareness of in-car electronic safety (eSafety) systems and road infrastructure telematics reveals that informed consumers agree that they contribute to increased safety on the roads. 12 FIA automobile clubs, partners in this EuroTest asked some 8000 European citizens in 11 countries for their views on 10 eSafety systems already available on the market and nine systems currently being developed for future implementation. The respondents, who on average have a minimum of 15 years driving experience, drive family cars of less than five years old, were asked identify the most important systems in terms of usefulness and willingness to pay for them. The results of this survey are also being used in the development of two EU funded projects: CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure Systems and Safety Techno Pro (eSafety Systems).
The overall goal was to determine the level of interest and knowledge among drivers EU wide in electronic safety systems which have the potential to contribute significantly to a reduction in road accidents. The results clearly show that if drivers are to fully appreciate the potential safety gains of driving in an environment where cars have inbuilt safety systems that can communicate with an intelligent road environment then much more needs to be done. Research already shows that if just one safety system, electronic stability control (ESC) was installed in all new cars, 4000 lives per year would be saved. Greater awareness and take up of these systems is needed.
Among the motorists who participated in the survey, an overwhelming majority considered safety as the first criterion when purchasing a new car. As many as 73.5 % of the participants are even considering safety before price. 44.3% considered that they are directly responsible for reducing and or avoiding traffic accidents. The English and Norwegians feel the greatest levels of personal responsibility while the Croatians and French had the greatest tendency to attribute blame to others. In both instances one could imagine that eSafety systems could be a welcome backup.
When it comes to perceived usefulness, the Area Routing Control System, a future system that will offer alternative routes in towns in the event of an accident or an incident was the clear winner. 89.3% participants considered it useful. The runner up was the Cooperative Travel Assistance System, which will support drivers in planning their personalized routes and help road managers predict congestion situations. This system was considered useful by 85.3 % of the participants to the survey. In third place was eCall with 83%. The least useful of the future systems considered was the Personalised Route Planner because of its potential to invade privacy. Nevertheless it was supported by 45% of drivers.
EuroTest also investigated drivers’ willingness to pay for the different systems included in the survey. Here the results mirrored largely the respondents’ views on the usefulness of the different systems. Respondents were most willing to pay for the Area Route Control and Cooperative Travel Systems while the Personalised Route Planner did not raise much interest. The explanation for these answers lies with the key issue of privacy. The Personalized Route Planner, a system which monitors drivers’ habits gave rise to privacy concerns. While 39% of Italian respondents were attracted by this systems only16% of the British drivers liked it.
When asked about privacy, 45% of the interviewed motorists said that they would prefer not to have or use a system rather than have their privacy invaded. However this situation changes if it is seen that there are clear benefits to be derived from a system. In the case of eCall, (an automatic calling system in cases of emergency) 73.4% agreed to having their vehicle send an alert message to an emergency centre in the event of an accident. Taking a closer look at the European map we see that the Croatians are most in favour of eCall with 87% of motorists approving of the system. Once again UK motorists were the most reticent, with only 60% in favour.
It was generally noted that all in-car systems were more acceptable where the driver had the possibility to switch them off at will. Also it was noted that the more information available about a system the easier it was to accept it.
According to the findings, there is a dearth of information about eSafety systems which explains why many respondents found the concepts very abstract. Also there is a clear connection between having eSafety systems in the car and knowing about them. Austrian motorists are the best informed while the French have very little knowledge about eSafety.
When asked where they obtained information about eSafety or telematics systems from, the majority of motorists claimed that they rely on Internet, automobile clubs and car dealers to give them the information. The Austrians and Germans expect this information from the automobile clubs. Croatians and Norwegians get it from the Internet while Portuguese, Italian and Spanish motorists rely most heavily on their car dealers to get the information.
According to Caroline Ofoegbu of the FIA European Bureau “There is no doubt that eSystems could contribute significantly to the safety performance of not only motorists themselves and their vehicles but also the road environment. But much more must be done to tell consumers about the benefits of eSafety particularly when buying a new car. If the take-up was broader many more accidents could be avoided”
As a follow up the project Safety Techno Pro will take forward the findings of the survey organised by the European Automobile Clubs to develop training courses for automotive professionals who deal with customers about the advantages of car safety technologies.
After having heard about the potential benefits of eSafety systems, 60% of Europeans surveyed demanded more information and even training. This shows that once aware of the new technologies, motorists are happy to inform themselves and even pay to have them in their cars. Giving easy access to information about eSafety systems as well as supporting the implementation of such systems in cars is essential. A bigger demand will produce economies of scale and the “luxury products” of today will become a standard part of a normal and safe driving tomorrow.
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Editors' notes
For more information about the eSafety test please click here.
EuroTest is a platform 16 automobile clubs in 15 countries, members of the FIA who have been putting the quality and safety of mobility in Europe to the test since 2000 for the benefit of their members and all mobile consumers in Europe.
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