BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey of more than 1,000 Australian car owners by insurance provider Budget Direct found three-quarters of respondents (75%) believe that car technology can be distracting. The most distracting car technologies included touchscreens, hands-free mobile phones and speech-to-text systems.

Of bigger concern is that over 1 in 10 (16%) reported having either an accident or a close call due to these technological distractions.

The survey also showed that not all Aussie drivers are ready for the hands-free driving revolution just yet. Two in five (41%) remain skeptical about fully trusting automatic systems like lane correction or pedestrian protection.

Budget Direct's Chief Growth Officer, Jonathan Kerr, said new, advanced technologies are becoming more available in mid- and lower-range cars.

"Once luxury features like adaptive cruise control and massaging seats are now enjoyed by increasing numbers of Aussies," he said.

The public's fear of car technology changes, however, when Australians think about technological features that make cars safer.

"Innovative safety features such as automatic braking and blind spot warnings are more often becoming standard.

"The number of cars in Australia has nearly doubled in the last 30 years. Busier roads could be one factor explaining why the latest safety and driver assistance technology are high priority," Mr Kerr said.

It seems drivers agree with nearly two-thirds (64%) saying the latest safety and driver assistance tech is either very or extremely important to them.

The top five must-haves are rear view cameras and/or parking sensors (68%), blind-spot warning systems (61%), collision warning and avoidance systems (49%), auto emergency braking (46%) and lane departure warning and correction systems (38%).

"Interestingly, attitudes across different segments differed quite a lot," Mr Kerr said.

"Perhaps because it is more familiar to them, it was our younger car owners who emphasized safety tech. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of Gen Y or younger told us it was important compared to 63% of Gen X and 58% of Baby Boomers."

It was a similar story when it came to the convenience and entertainment side of car ownership. Exactly half of Gen Y or younger said it was important versus 40% of Gen X and just 28% of Baby Boomers.

When it came to gender differences more men (45%) than women (37%) rated the latest convenience and entertainment tech as must-haves.

Female car owners were more cautious about technology both in terms of trust and as a distraction. A little over half (53%) of women were prepared to fully trust their safety tech compared to nearly two-thirds (65%) of men. It was a similar story with the issue of distraction; 79% of women thought it was a problem but 70% of men thought so.

You can find out more about Australian attitudes to electric vehicle ownership in Electric Car Survey and Statistics.

If you want to read more about attitudes to driving distractions, check Distracted Driving Survey and Statistics survey.

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This survey was conducted by Pure Profile on behalf of Budget Direct in July 2023. The survey was conducted online with a total sample size of 1008, weighted and representative of all Australian car owners (aged 18+).

DISCLAIMER

Budget Direct Insurance is arranged by Auto & General Services, ABN 61 003 617 909, AFSL 241411. Registered Office: 13/9 Sherwood Road, Toowong 4066 on behalf of the insurer, Auto & General Insurance Company Limited ABN 42 111 586 353.

This is general information only, and does not take into account your particular objectives, financial situation and needs and you should consider whether it is appropriate for you, having regard to these factors before acting on it. Read the Product Disclosure Statement, Target Market Determination, Financial Services Guide, Key Fact Sheets available at budgetdirect.com.au, and consider if the product is right for you before deciding to purchase or continue to hold the product.

While Budget Direct has endeavoured to ensure the information we've relied on is accurate and current, we do not guarantee it. Budget Direct accepts no liability for this information.