Skip to main content

Drivers want semi-autonomous safety features

Blind spot detection and rear-view cameras with park assist were the two features that tied for consumers' most-wanted car safety technology in a recent Edmunds.com survey. Edmunds polled more than 2,000 active site visitors to explore the vehicle safety technologies that most appealed to them for their next car purchase. “The most wanted features, like the blind spot detection, act more like co-pilots for your car,” said Edmunds senior analyst Ivan Drury, “providing drivers with 360 degrees of informati
November 7, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Blind spot detection and rear-view cameras with park assist were the two features that tied for consumers' most-wanted car safety technology in a recent 6843 Edmunds.com survey. Edmunds polled more than 2,000 active site visitors to explore the vehicle safety technologies that most appealed to them for their next car purchase.

“The most wanted features, like the blind spot detection, act more like co-pilots for your car,” said Edmunds senior analyst Ivan Drury, “providing drivers with 360 degrees of information they wouldn't otherwise have.”

In the survey, 89 per cent of people said they wanted their next car to have rear-view cameras with park assist, which is another term for rear back-up sensors. Among those respondents, 61 per cent were willing to pay US$100 to US$500 for the camera and sensors.

Those unwilling to pay for back-up camera technology now only have to wait a couple years. By law, rear-view monitoring technology will be standard on all vehicles by the 2018 model year.

“Safety technology has evolved from features that mitigate the severity of an accident to features that can prevent an accident, bringing us closer to fully autonomous driving,” Drury said.

Blind spot detection tied for the most-wanted feature: 89 per cent want it and 56 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to pay US$100 to US$500 for it.

Automatic high beams were the least-valued technology, with 65 per cent of respondents expressing interest in the technology, but not a willingness to pay extra for it.

Adaptive headlights were a popular feature, with 80 per cent of respondents wanting the technology on their next vehicle, but 95 per cent of them unwilling to pay more than US$500 for it.

Front crash prevention technology, which includes forward collision warning and autonomous braking systems, took third place among the most wanted features in the survey, with 79 per cent of people wanting it in their next vehicle. Among those who wanted front crash prevention, 55 per cent were willing to pay up to US$500 and an additional 16 per cent would pay up to US$1,000.

“Consumers told us they both wanted and were willing to pay for front crash prevention, which leads us to believe that drivers are receptive to some self-driving elements of the latest safety technologies,” said Drury.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cannabis and cars don’t mix
    October 28, 2022
    Increased – legal – cannabis use has created increased – illegal – use by drivers. Adam Hill looks at a new report which advises State Highway Safety Offices on tackling the issue
  • Enforcement comes in many guises
    June 22, 2016
    Colin Sowman looks at some enforcement case studies from around the world. It is a sad fact of life that unenforced laws are not adhered to by a sometimes sizable proportion of the public and once enforcement is seen to be lacking, some drivers can take this to extremes and authorities must decide how to regain control.
  • Government targets ‘too conservative’ as 1 in 5 plan to embrace electric cars
    July 20, 2017
    Electric vehicle uptake may increase over the next few years to levels far above UK Government targets. In research undertaken by Baringa Partners, nearly a fifth of people said they would consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car, double the Government goal for electric cars to make up nine per cent of the fleet by 2020. However, concerns over purchase price and range mean nearly a third of people believe electric cars will never overtake petrol and diesel vehicles. Baringa is urging the Gover
  • EastLink demonstrates hands-free driving through Melbourne freeway
    April 6, 2018
    EastLink has demonstrated hands-free driving capabilities on a section of its Melbourne freeway to help provide Victorian drivers with a better understanding of the technology. For the test, a Honda CR-V VTi-LX carried out automated speed plus steering control, using the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist functions in an area of Eastlink closed to traffic. It was televised on 7 News Melbourne at 6.00pm on the 6 April 2018. The vehicle, according to Doug Spencer-Roy, EastLink’s corporate affair