Most owners of Subaru models equipped with the company’s DriverFocus system keep it switched on and believe it makes them safer drivers, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has shown.
Nearly nine out of 10 drivers who have the feature, which uses a camera to detect signs of distraction and drowsiness, told researchers they use it most or all of the time, and a majority said they would want the next vehicle they purchase to have it too.
“Such a high level of acceptance for a system designed to keep drivers’ attention on the road is a bit surprising and very encouraging,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “Distraction and drowsiness are factors in thousands of crash deaths every year.”
The new IIHS study suggests automakers may find it relatively easy to convince drivers of the benefits. In an online survey of nearly 3,500 owners of Subaru models equipped with DriverFocus, 87 per cent said they keep it turned on most or every time they drive. Seventy per cent said that they would want to have the system again in their next car. Among those who drive with it turned on, 64 per cent agreed that it makes them a safer driver and 63 per cent agreed it helps them avoid distractions.
The small percentage of drivers who turned the system off under their profile settings complained that the alerts were annoying and too frequent, and most drivers reported that they sometimes received false alarms when they weren’t actually drowsy or distracted.
