Skip to main content

Car owners fear in-car connectivity technology

In-car technology is revolutionising the driving experience, especially when it comes to connectivity options, including mobile device connection to the Internet, navigation systems, emergency response systems, and driving habit monitoring devices. Yet, it is claimed that more than three in four car owners (76 per cent) report that they believe in-car connectivity technologies are too distracting and even dangerous to have. In addition, more than half (55 per cent) argue that automakers have taken technolog
August 2, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
In-car technology is revolutionising the driving experience, especially when it comes to connectivity options, including mobile device connection to the Internet, navigation systems, emergency response systems, and driving habit monitoring devices. Yet, it is claimed that more than three in four car owners (76 per cent) report that they believe in-car connectivity technologies are too distracting and even dangerous to have. In addition, more than half (55 per cent) argue that automakers have taken technology for road use too far.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,634 US adults (ages 18 and over) of whom 1,991 own or lease a car, truck, minivan or SUV, surveyed online between May 7 and May 15, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Beyond fearing how connectivity technology may impede driver focus, a strong majority of car owners (62 per cent) also worry about how technology may interfere with their privacy, including where and how they drive. Just over two in five US car owners (41 per cent) believe that their insurance rates could increase because of what in-car technology reveals about their driving habits. This is more of a concern among younger drivers between 18 and 35 (46 per cent) and men (46 per cent).

American car owners are, however, conflicted when it comes to technology and their cars. Three in five (61 per cent) view their car as a haven from the outside world and thus don't want to always be connected while driving. Yet, more than half of car owners find that in-car connectivity makes driving more enjoyable (58 per cent) and makes them feel safer (57 per cent) while on the road.  Men in particular enjoy having connectivity in their cars (64%) more than women (53%) and feel safer with technology on-board (61%) compared to women (54%).  

More insights and trends on consumer preferences for over 60 advanced automotive technologies can be found in the 2012 Harris Poll AutoTechcast study. Among an array of topics, the study evaluates distracted driving habits, preferences for mobile applications within the connected car of the future, and the perceptions of time needed to offset premiums of alternative powertrain technologies.

To learn more about the 2012 AutoTechcast study, which is available now, visit: %$Linker: External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal HarrisInteractive.com www.harrisinteractive.com/Products/AutoTECHCASTUS.aspx false http://www.harrisinteractive.com/Products/AutoTECHCASTUS.aspx false false%>.

Related Content

  • More cables in existing ducting with MaxCell’s no-dig CSRS
    April 23, 2013
    CSRS is a new no-dig technology and construction method from MaxCell that removes inner ducting from around active fiber optic cables with virtually no load on cable and no interruption of service. Inner ducts can be are removed at a rate of up to 3m (10ft) per min and up to 90% conduit space is recovered. The cables fall to bottom of conduit allowing up to nine more cables to be placed in recovered space. Replacing with new ducting can cost upwards of $3000 per metre ($1,000 per foot) in cities.
  • ITS World Congress hosts European Commission’s 3rd ITS Conference
    September 26, 2012
    On 22 October 2012 the European Commission is organising its 3rd Conference on Intelligent Transport in Europe within the framework of the 19th ITS World Congress at Messe Wien, Room Stolz 1&2 and foyer Stolz. The main objective of the conference is to provide and discuss results of the ITS Action Plan and to present the status of the implementation of the ITS Directive 2010/40/EU. Additionally, the presentations will address legal issues for ITS deployment as well as European multimodal journey planners.
  • ITS Australia: National Awards 2019 nominees
    October 15, 2019
    An autonomous Mobility as a Service pilot at a retirement village is among the nominees in ITS Australia’s National Awards 2019. Aurrigo is exploring how the technology will be used safely by elderly passengers in an environment where technical systems are not well understood. The Queensland Police Service’s forensic crash unit has also been nominated - for using drones to map crash scenes to help reduce road closure times and traffic congestion. In addition, Cooee Busways was chosen for using vehicl
  • TRL launches annual research review
    March 11, 2016
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has launched its annual research review 2014-2015, containing a summary of 18 months of research activity at TRL, along with expert commentary on connected and automated vehicles; electric vehicles; healthy transport; safety and smart infrastructure. It also looks at implications of healthy transport on road networks, infrastructure and planning as the government announces ‘healthy towns’ and provides insight on the future for self-driving cars and their safet