Despite the increasing presence of cutting-edge safety features in modern vehicles, one in five Australian drivers are choosing to turn them off, according to new findings from the 2025 AAMI Crash Index.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) – such as lane departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and parking assist – are designed to prevent accidents and save lives. However, many drivers are finding them more frustrating than helpful. AAMI’s research reveals that 20 per cent of drivers have disabled at least some of these features.

The reasons? A significant 69 per cent cited that the systems were too “annoying”, “distracting”, or “too sensitive”. Others felt they simply didn’t need the assistance (23 per cent), while 13 per cent admitted to not trusting the technology.

The most commonly deactivated features include lane departure warnings and lane keeping assist (45 per cent), followed by adaptive cruise control and parking assist (both 17 per cent), automatic emergency braking (16 per cent) and forward collision warnings (11 per cent).

This trend of turning off safety systems runs counter to what the data suggests. AAMI analysed over 480,000 claims from February 2024 to February 2025 and found vehicles equipped with ADAS – especially those with autonomous braking – were less likely to be involved in accidents. Despite this, the data also confirmed nose-to-tail collisions remain the most frequent crash type, particularly during afternoon hours.

AAMI Motor Prevention Manager Mary Kennedy emphasised the critical role these technologies play in road safety. “In-car safety features aren’t just gadgets – they’re designed to help protect us and make our roads safer,” she said. “Many of the systems people are disabling are extremely effective in preventing common accidents like rear-end crashes or reversing into objects.”

Encouragingly, the majority (59 per cent) of Australians do recognise the value of these systems, acknowledging that they help reduce the severity and frequency of accidents. When buying a new or used vehicle, drivers prioritise features like reverse cameras, blind spot monitoring, parking assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control.

AAMI says the Crash Index is designed to raise awareness and promote safer driving habits across Australia.