Fresh testing reveals that safety technology required by European Union regulations for new vehicles proves so disruptive that motorists frequently disable it, undermining its intended protective function.
Research discovered that 50 per cent of driver attention monitoring systems create such intrusive experiences that users switch them off entirely.
These technologies employ cameras and sensors to identify when motorists lose focus on driving, triggering audible and visual warnings.
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Though Britain currently sits outside these European regulations, manufacturers incorporate the features across their model ranges as removing them specifically for UK markets would prove uneconomical.
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Many motorists admitted to turning off in-car safety features
The systems aim to combat driver inattention but paradoxically risk becoming safety hazards themselves when poorly implemented.
Testing conducted by What Car? on a 10-mile circuit examined six vehicles equipped with European-compliant distraction prevention technology.
Chinese manufacturers emerged as the poorest performers, with Leapmotor’s C10 electric SUV triggering three incorrect warnings whilst drivers maintained proper road focus during normal operation.
The system managed to identify only half of the deliberately distracted behaviours during testing.
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MG’s HS model similarly produced two erroneous alerts when drivers were attentive, though it successfully detected all four instances of intentional distraction.
The evaluation process involved drivers completing one circuit with full attention on the road, followed by another where they deliberately performed four three-second distractions.
These included examining the entertainment display, reaching towards the central screen, gazing through the driver’s window, and glancing downward at their lap.
Labour’s potential pursuit of regulatory harmonisation with Europe could result in Britain implementing these vehicle safety requirements, which extend beyond attention monitoring to include breathalyser systems in personal cars.
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The research findings raise questions about whether such alignment would genuinely enhance road safety or simply burden motorists with problematic technology.
Consumer editor Claire Evans from What Car? urged Euro NCAP to impose penalties on manufacturers whose systems produce erroneous warnings, arguing these false alerts create their own hazardous distractions.
“A well-engineered driver monitoring system is an important safety aid that should help to stop drivers from becoming dangerously distracted by focusing on the infotainment touchscreen for too long, and from breaking the law by using a handheld mobile phone,” Evans stated.
The assessment highlighted superior performance from Mazda’s distraction detection technology, which operated “seamlessly” according to reviewers.
Euro NCAP is being urged to impose penalties on manufacturers whose systems produce incorrect warnings
Other manufacturers including Lexus and Kia also received favourable evaluations for their implementations.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding emphasised that whilst such technology could protect drivers from their own lapses, manufacturers must simultaneously reduce built-in distractions that trigger these alerts.
He said: “Many of us will have spent too much time fiddling with, and focusing on, a touchscreen on the centre console when we should have been looking out of the windscreen at the road ahead.”
Gooding stressed that motorists should recognise their responsibilities without depending on technology, avoiding drink-driving, phone use whilst driving, fatigue, and allowing passengers to handle entertainment controls.