Drivers dangerously overwhelmed by ‘smart’ systems – study

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The automotive industry urgently needs a restart. Because the complexity of functions gets on drivers’ nerves and negatively affects safety.

Naughty hatch

Several owners of a certain car model contacted the service department of a German manufacturer and reported a fault in the electronics of the sunroof. When the car reached a certain speed, the hatch closed, leaving only a few centimeters of gap.

The fact that this is not a malfunction, but a conscious decision, the buyers did not believe. The manufacturer has reprogrammed the prompt feature.

The idea of ​​closing the hatch depending on the speed was reasonable. This is done to prevent annoying wind noise at high speeds. This case exposed one of the biggest problems in the automotive industry: the technological overload of vehicle drivers.

What car owners don’t know

Only a small proportion of car buyers know what features are installed in the car, let alone say with confidence how they work, the US research firm JD Power recently discovered.

According to her research, 65% of consumers cannot properly explain what fully autonomous driving is.

It distracts them from the road

Some systems in a car require too much distraction from the driver, says ZF. So, in a modern high-tech car, almost all driver control buttons are “removed” in the display.

Even with a simple adjustment of the seat heating on the large tablet in the center console, you are distracted for a few seconds. Searching for the desired functions in the digital menus and submenus often leads to dangerously long distractions.

Equally dangerous is the digital update – the large number of signals that these systems constantly transmit can also lead to driver distraction and incorrect reactions while driving.

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The situation will only get worse over the next three years as electromobility grows. Then, however, manufacturers will be forced to take the path of simplifying systems and their greater intuitive perception, the researchers believe.

Source: springerprofessional.de

Photo: Depositphotos

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